Bringing Russian war crimes to justice may take decades, says lawyer
Accusations of Russian war crimes have abounded since the beginning of the Ukraine war, including attacks on civilian infrastructure, targeting of humanitarian corridors and massacres like in Bucha.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
There have been many accusations of Russian war crimes since the start of the Ukraine war, but documenting and punishing them will take time, says Philip Grant, director of Swiss NGO TRIAL International.
This content was published on
2 minutes
RTS/jc
العربية
ar
تقديم جرائم الحرب الروسية إلى العدالة قد يستغرق عقودًا
The current situation should allow Switzerland and many other countries to take the lead and start some trials, he told Swiss public broadcaster RTS in an interviewExternal link this weekend. “The International Criminal Court can conduct this kind of trial, but they are long trials that mobilise a lot of resources and energy,” he told RTS. “Alongside this Court, states also have the capacity, even if the crimes were committed abroad, to arrest and bring to trial the perpetrators of atrocities.”
TRIAL InternationalExternal link is a Geneva-based NGO fighting against impunity for international crimes (war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide) and promoting “universal jurisdiction”. This is a principle allowing states to try such crimes committed by anyone, anywhere in the world, under certain conditions. Switzerland is among the countries that have enshrined this principle in its national legislation, although it has brought very few such cases to trial so far.
Grant is aware that the continuing war continues to hamper justice significantly, but thinks patience is required. “As far as the Russian aggression is concerned, it is a task that will certainly last for decades,” he told RTS. “But in any case, we need to document and safeguard the evidence, raise awareness among the victims and try to start building case files.”
In March, Switzerland’s attorney general announced he was setting up a taskforce to collect evidence from refugees of possible war crimes in Ukraine. Many other Western countries have done the sameExternal link, and Ukraine itself has already started some trials.
More
More
International Geneva
What are the Swiss doing to gather evidence of war crimes in Ukraine?
This content was published on
Switzerland has set up a taskforce to collect evidence from refugees of possible war crimes in Ukraine.
Swiss-EU treaties: signatures handed in for Kompass initiative
This content was published on
The committee behind the Compass Initiative submitted the signatures it had collected to the Federal Chancellery on Friday.
This content was published on
Esther Grether has died aged 89. Considered one of Switzerland’s leading entrepreneurs, the owner of the Basel-based Doetsch Grether Group was also a major shareholder in the Swatch Group and an art collector.
This content was published on
The flag of the Swiss Wrestling Federation has been received at the start of the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival in Mollis, canton Glarus.
Figurine heads in Zurich school not considered discriminatory
This content was published on
The 16 carved figurine heads in the auditorium of the Hirschengraben school building in Zurich are not discriminatory, according to an independent expert report.
Swiss political parties report income of CHF22.4 million for 2024
This content was published on
Ten parties reported income totalling CHF22.4 million for 2024, less than in the 2023 election year. The reports are based on the regulations for transparency in political financing.
This content was published on
The aim is to gather evidence in order to be able to respond quickly to any subsequent criminal proceedings or requests for mutual legal assistance.
Ukraine: can sanctions or war crimes investigations stop the war?
This content was published on
Evidence of atrocities in Ukraine has been met with accusations of war crimes and sanctions against Russia. Inside Geneva looks at what this means.
Will Russia’s leaders be brought to justice for Ukraine war crimes?
This content was published on
As the International Criminal Court opens an investigation on Ukraine, we look at the chances of Russia’s leaders being held to account for the war.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.