Zelensky and European rights body establish tribunal to allow prosecution of Russian leaders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed an agreement with the Council of Europe (CoE) to create a tribunal that would allow for the prosecution of senior Russian officials who have led the war on Ukraine.
Zelensky signed the accord on Wednesday alongside CoE Secretary General Alain Berset in the French city of Strasbourg, where the organization is headquartered.
The Ukrainian leader has portrayed the special tribunal as paramount to holding Russian officials responsible for the full-scale invasion of his country, which began in February 2022 and has grinded on for more than three years, with a huge human cost.
The establishment of the tribunal is aimed at widening the net for those who can be tried over the conflict. The International Criminal Court (ICC), which focuses on crimes against humanity, has already issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and several other high-profile political and military Russian figures.
The new body will deal with the crime of aggression, specifically regarding the use of armed force by one state against another. It marks the first time that the CoE has set up such a tribunal.
'The Tribunal, formally launched today, creates a real opportunity to hold the leadership of the Russian regime accountable for the crimes committed against our state and our people,' the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
'We will continue working to ensure justice for all victims. Criminals must face trial in The Hague and be punished.'
Berset said: 'This historic signature reminds us that international law must apply to all – with no exceptions, and with no double standards.'
Alongside Putin, the ICC, based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's presidential commissioner for children's rights, in March 2023. Both are accused of the illegal deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.
In March 2024, the court also issued arrest warrants for Viktor Sokolov, a Russian navy officer and former commander of the Black Sea Fleet, and Sergei Kobylash, a lLieutenant general in the Russian Armed Forces. The two are accused of the war crime of causing excessive incidental harm to civilians and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts.
Meanwhile, ceasefire negotiations to end the war in Ukraine have mostly stalled despite mediation from the Trump administration.
The talks between Russia, Ukraine and third countries have struggled to make progress after Moscow refused to back off its maximalist demands and presented a ceasefire proposal that would essentially amount to Ukraine's capitulation.
At the same time, Russia keeps ramping up its attacks against Ukrainian cities. Russian forces killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians in less than 48 hours on Monday and Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials, two of the deadliest days in many months.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
40 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Argentina launches FBI-style federal investigations agency
June 26 (UPI) -- President Javier Milei has approved the creation of the Federal Investigations Department (DFI), a strategic step aimed at transforming the Argentine Federal Police (PFA) into a specialized federal criminal investigation agency. The department's primary mission is to lead investigations into drug trafficking, organized crime, human trafficking, financial crimes and terrorism, replacing routine patrols with specialized investigative units. National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said Argentina needs a modern force with the real capacity to dismantle criminal organizations. Bullrich said the DFI will be the core of the new federal police, which will no longer function as a uniformed force. It will be supported by state security and diplomatic protection services. "It will focus all efforts on one key task: getting to the root of every criminal organization that seeks power and money in this country," she said. The National Security Ministry will retain the National Gendarmerie, Airport Security Police and Federal Penitentiary Service as uniformed forces. Bullrich said the new federal police will gradually become a force of detectives and specialized investigators serving the federal judiciary nationwide. She likened the DFI to the FBI. The DFI will coordinate operations of the Superintendency for Drug Trafficking Investigations, the Federal Crimes Investigation Unit, regional and federal agencies, criminal intelligence units and other tactical support teams, including firefighters and Special Operations. The DFI has been granted broad authority. One of its main roles is investigating drug trafficking networks in border provinces that have become major entry and exit points for large-scale shipments -- cocaine from Bolivia and marijuana from Paraguay. Another priority is combating transnational organized crime groups, including Brazil's Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and Italian and Russian mafias known to be active in Argentina. A controversial provision allows the new force to monitor public digital spaces -- such as social media platforms and websites -- for preventive purposes. The new law governing the federal police provides a legal framework for investigating complex crimes, including technological surveillance, "while also guaranteeing respect for civil liberties and preventing abuses," the ministry said. The department is also authorized to detain individuals for up to 10 hours to verify their identity if they cannot confirm who they are and are suspected of being wanted by the courts. It is further empowered to launch investigations without prior court approval and will have access to both public and private databases. The new law aims to professionalize both current and future personnel. Modeled after criminal intelligence agencies such as the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and counterparts in Israel and the European Union, the department is expected to recruit university graduates, IT specialists and criminologists. Political opposition and human rights groups have criticized the reforms. The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) warned that the lack of clarity in many provisions could open the door to criminalizing social organizations, suppressing protests, conducting mass digital surveillance of dissenters, and taking law enforcement action without judicial oversight. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
North Korea's Kim cuts tape at coastal tourist site; foreigners not yet welcome
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cut the inaugural tape at a new coastal tourist site during an extravagant ceremony on Tuesday, though the resort won't immediately be open to foreign tourists. Kim toured the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone, calling its construction "one of the greatest successes this year" and "the proud first step" toward a new era in the government's tourism industry, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Hotels and other accommodations for nearly 20,000 guests were built on the Hermit Kingdom's east coast, where visitors could engage in activities such as swimming, sports and recreation and dining at restaurants at the resort, state media said. The resort, North Korea's biggest tourist site, will open for domestic tourists next Tuesday, KCNA said, but the report didn't say when it will start receiving foreign tourists. Russia Fires North Korean Ballistic Missiles In 'Extremely Dangerous' Threat To Europe And Asia: Zelenskyy Experts believe North Korea invested heavily in the construction of the resort and eventually will have to accept Chinese and other foreign tourists to recoup costs. Read On The Fox News App But North Korea has been slow to resume its international tourism because of lingering COVID-19 pandemic curbs, a flare-up of tensions with the U.S. and South Korea in recent years and worries about Western tourists spreading a negative image of its system. Analysts say the resort will open to Russian tourists first, as evidenced by its booming military and other partnerships with Russia, before eventually opening to Chinese tours. Trump Remains 'Receptive' To Dialogue With Kim Jong Un Despite Reported Letter Snub The Russian ambassador to North Korea and his embassy staff appeared at Tuesday's ceremony, according to KCNA, though the report didn't say whether any Chinese diplomats were also invited. South Korean and American tourists won't be as fortunate, Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, told The Associated Press. Lim said those tours won't likely restart anytime soon, though both new liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump have expressed hopes to revive dialogue with North Korea. Kim has been pushing to make the country a tourism hub as part of efforts to revive the ailing economy, with KCNA reporting that North Korea will soon confirm plans to build large tourist sites in other parts of the country. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: North Korea's Kim cuts tape at coastal tourist site; foreigners not yet welcome
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Argentina launches FBI-style federal investigations agency
Argentinian President Javier Milei approved the creation of an FBI-like federal criminal investigation agency. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- President Javier Milei has approved the creation of the Federal Investigations Department (DFI), a strategic step aimed at transforming the Argentine Federal Police (PFA) into a specialized federal criminal investigation agency. The department's primary mission is to lead investigations into drug trafficking, organized crime, human trafficking, financial crimes and terrorism, replacing routine patrols with specialized investigative units. National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said Argentina needs a modern force with the real capacity to dismantle criminal organizations. Bullrich said the DFI will be the core of the new federal police, which will no longer function as a uniformed force. It will be supported by state security and diplomatic protection services. "It will focus all efforts on one key task: getting to the root of every criminal organization that seeks power and money in this country," she said. The National Security Ministry will retain the National Gendarmerie, Airport Security Police and Federal Penitentiary Service as uniformed forces. Bullrich said the new federal police will gradually become a force of detectives and specialized investigators serving the federal judiciary nationwide. She likened the DFI to the FBI. The DFI will coordinate operations of the Superintendency for Drug Trafficking Investigations, the Federal Crimes Investigation Unit, regional and federal agencies, criminal intelligence units and other tactical support teams, including firefighters and Special Operations. The DFI has been granted broad authority. One of its main roles is investigating drug trafficking networks in border provinces that have become major entry and exit points for large-scale shipments -- cocaine from Bolivia and marijuana from Paraguay. Another priority is combating transnational organized crime groups, including Brazil's Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and Italian and Russian mafias known to be active in Argentina. A controversial provision allows the new force to monitor public digital spaces -- such as social media platforms and websites -- for preventive purposes. The new law governing the federal police provides a legal framework for investigating complex crimes, including technological surveillance, "while also guaranteeing respect for civil liberties and preventing abuses," the ministry said. The department is also authorized to detain individuals for up to 10 hours to verify their identity if they cannot confirm who they are and are suspected of being wanted by the courts. It is further empowered to launch investigations without prior court approval and will have access to both public and private databases. The new law aims to professionalize both current and future personnel. Modeled after criminal intelligence agencies such as the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and counterparts in Israel and the European Union, the department is expected to recruit university graduates, IT specialists and criminologists. Political opposition and human rights groups have criticized the reforms. The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) warned that the lack of clarity in many provisions could open the door to criminalizing social organizations, suppressing protests, conducting mass digital surveillance of dissenters, and taking law enforcement action without judicial oversight.
