First Draft Statute Of Special Tribunal For Russia Presented In Brussels

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) legal experts from the European Commission, the Council of Europe, Ukraine and 37 other countries today, following the work of the main expert group in Brussels, presented the first draft of the Statute of the international Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

The relevant report was published today on the website of the European Commission , Ukrinform saw.

"Today, senior legal experts of the European Commission, the European External Action Service, the Council of Europe, Ukraine and 37 States laid down the legal foundations for the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. The participants also set out the key elements of the 'Schuman draft Statute', the core legal text that will govern the functioning of the Special Tribunal," the statement says.

As noted in the report, once operational, the Tribunal will have the authority to hold accountable the political and military leaders of Russia who bear the greatest responsibility for the crime of aggression

Read also: Significant progress made in Brussels on setting up Russia tribunal - deputy justice minister

“When Russia chose to roll its tanks over Ukraine's borders, breaking the UN Charter, it committed one of the gravest violations: the Crime of Aggression. Now, justice is coming. Justice for Ukraine. We have laid down the legal foundations for a Special Tribunal. There can also be no justice without compensation. Russia must be held accountable for its aggression – and it must pay,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Today, the European Commission also adopted recommendations for the Council of the EU to participate in formal negotiations on the establishment of an international Claims Commission for Ukraine. This Commission will be the body responsible for reviewing, assessing, and deciding on the eligibility of claims entered into the Register of Damage and determining the amount of compensation in each case.

The establishment of such a Claims Commission will be a crucial step toward paying compensation to victims of Russia's war against Ukraine. The first round of negotiations on the establishment of this international instrument will kick off late March.

As noted, the Special Tribunal will be established by agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Council of Europe. It will exercise its jurisdiction on behalf of Ukraine. The Council of Europe will be responsible for the procedure for approving the draft legal documents necessary for the establishment of the Special Tribunal and their subsequent signing.

As reported earlier, the EU supported Ukraine's proposal to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, which would allow Ukraine to refer the results of domestic investigations related to the crime of aggression to the Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal, and to transfer relevant information and evidence accumulated within the framework of the International Centre for the Punishment of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA), established in The Hague.

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