Justice ministers from around the world will meet in London in March in support of the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine, the U.K. Justice Ministry announced in a statement on Jan. 7.
The meeting at Lancaster House will be hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and the Minister of Justice and Security of the Netherlands, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius.
According to the ministry statement, the meeting "aims to increase the global financial and practical support being offered to the ICC and coordinate efforts to ensure it has all it needs to carry out investigations and prosecute those responsible."
The announcement comes amid Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. In territories liberated by Ukrainian troops, prosecutors continue to gather evidence of atrocities and sexual violence committed by Russian troops during occupation.
As of mid-December, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office reported that Russian forces had committed 52,825 crimes of aggression and war crimes since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February.
The prosecutor's office said on Dec. 23 that it is currently investigating over 5,079 cases of torture, bodily harm, or other inhumane treatment allegedly committed by Russian troops.
Along with the meeting's announcement, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said that "Russian forces should know they cannot act with impunity and we will back Ukraine until justice is served."
"Almost a year on from the illegal invasion, the international community must give its strongest backing to the ICC so war criminals can be held to account for the atrocities we’re witnessing," Raab said.
