German Federal Prosecutor's Office asked to join investigation into sexual crimes by Russians
Non-governmental organisations file a statement to the German Federal Prosecutor's Office regarding crimes committed by the Russian military.
The petition is filed on behalf of a Ukrainian woman who suffered sexual violence during the Russian occupation of Kyiv Oblast in 2022.
This was reported to Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia by the plaintiffs Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group (ULAG) and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).
The statement said that four Russian servicemen, including two senior officers, were responsible for the murder of the victim's husband and for committing acts of sexual abuse against her. The woman and her son managed to escape and now live in Germany. Their residence in Ukraine was destroyed.
Photo: tupungato/Depositphotos
The victim asks the German authorities to help Ukraine investigate the crime.
"Although none of the perpetrators or their leaders have been detained, Ukrainian authorities are conducting an investigation, and a trial in absentia has been initiated against one of the suspected perpetrators," the organisations say.
The plaintiffs note that the Ukrainian law does not criminalise offences against humanity and does not provide for command responsibility.
"Therefore, Ukraine currently has no possibility to prosecute crimes that constitute a part of a large-scale and systematic attack on the Ukrainian population, i.e., crimes against humanity. Senior officials cannot be brought to justice in accordance with the principle of command responsibility," the plaintiffs say.
They urge the Federal Prosecutor of Germany to support the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities and launch an investigation based on the principle of universal jurisdiction.
According to Nadiia Volkova, founder and director of ULAG, cases of the most serious international crimes must be investigated under international standards.
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