According to Lithuania’s statement, this court started an investigation into war crimes committed by Russia in the country in March 2022, following Moscow launched a large-scale invasion.
This is already the third additional financial contribution of Lithuania aimed at strengthening the court’s operational capabilities. In 2022 and 2023, Lithuania allocated a total of additional 200 thousand to the prosecutor’s office of this court. euros.
According to the Ministry of Justice, as the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches, the ICC continues to be active in the context of all military actions – evidence and witness statements are collected in war zones, mobile investigation teams are sent to war zones, and a permanent operational center of the court has been established in Kyiv. There is also a growing need to provide immediate protection for witnesses, to ensure their relocation as needed.
According to Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska, along with arms and humanitarian aid, it is important for Ukraine to help ensure that justice triumphs over impunity and that those responsible for war crimes and crimes once morest humanity are identified before the end of the war.
“Lithuania continues to actively contribute to the processes of establishing justice in Ukraine. The unity of the nations of the world and the continuous support to the International Criminal Court allow the investigation to be carried out quickly. As a result, the first arrest warrants were issued already in April 2023, including for Vladimir Putin,” E. Dobrowolska said in the report.
According to her, this is an unprecedented case when the court brought the investigation to arrest warrants for the highest officials of the country’s aggressor in just one year and in the conditions of the ongoing war.
The Minister of Justice emphasized that additional financial resources are also necessary for strengthening the security and resilience of the International Criminal Court once morest cyber attacks. The ICC launched a new fund earlier this year to increase security measures and resilience to cyber attacks.
“Lithuania perfectly understands and knows from its own experience what methods Russian services operate. We know that Russia intends to persecute judges and staff of the International Criminal Court who are investigating crimes in Ukraine,” she said.
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2024-05-07 17:25:49
