European Parliament calls for special tribunal to try Putin

The European Parliament on Thursday voted in favor of a non-binding resolution that calls for the creation of a special international tribunal to prosecute the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

This was reported by European Pravda.

There were 472 parliamentarians who voted for the resolution, 19 against it, and another 33 abstentions.

The European Parliament believes that the creation of the special tribunal would fill a large gap in the current institutional structure of international criminal justice and should be based on the standards and principles that apply to the International Criminal Court.

The deputies stressed in the resolution that the special tribunal must bring to justice not only Russian President Vladimir Putin but also self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the leadership of Belarus.

"The European Parliament believes that a special international tribunal should have jurisdiction to prosecute not only Vladimir Putin and the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation, but also Alexander Lukashenko and the political and military leadership of Belarus as an accomplice state, from whose territory and with the material and technical support of which the Russian Federation conducts its aggressive war against Ukraine," the document says.

The MEPs noted that the preparatory work of the EU on the special tribunal "should start without delay" and focus on creating mechanisms for the special tribunal in cooperation with Ukraine and support the Ukrainian and international authorities in providing evidence that will be used in the future special tribunal.

Author - Olena Madiak, 19/01/2023