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European Parliament supports creation of special tribunal for Russian war crimes in Ukraine

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European Parliament supports creation of special tribunal for Russian war crimes in Ukraine
Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, delivers a laudation during the Sakharov Prize ceremony. The European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize to the Ukrainian people on Dec. 14, 2022. (Photo by Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The European Union's parliament has adopted a resolution calling on member states to back the creation of a special international tribunal to judge Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine. The document was approved on Jan. 19 by 472 votes in favor, 19 against with 33 abstentions, according to the parliament's report.

The tribunal would "fill a vacuum in international criminal justice," allowing to prosecute Russia's political and military leadership for its crime of aggression against Ukraine, reads the report.

The European Parliament added that the special court "must have jurisdiction to investigate not only Vladimir Putin and the political and military leadership of Russia, but also Aliaksandr Lukashenka and his cronies in Belarus."

The resolution urges the EU member states to "immediately" start the preparations for the tribunal creation in cooperation with Ukraine.

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