Group calling for creation of special tribunal for Russian crime of aggression against Ukraine agrees on plan of action

Participants in the 12th meeting of the Coalition of States to establish a special tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine adopted a joint statement for the first time, as well as agreeing on the parameters of the tribunal's operations.

Source: Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head of the President’s Office, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Coalition of States convened in Riga and "agreed on the key parameters of the tribunal's work, in particular regarding its jurisdiction, and worked out a road map that clearly provided for concrete further steps" to create a special tribunal.

Quote: "We have finally made significant progress this year. Ukraine's position is clear and unambiguous: we cannot and will not compromise on justice," Mudra commented.

In a statement adopted for the first time following the meeting of the Special Tribunal Group, the parties confirmed the inevitability of punishment for the aggressor and their commitment to the speedy creation of a special tribunal.

Separately, they noted Ukraine's ratification of the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute, as well as progress in the preparation of the draft bilateral agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe on the establishment of a special tribunal, the draft statute, and the draft Extended Partial Agreement, which defines the conditions for the tribunal's funding.

Background:

• Discussions for establishing a special tribunal for Russia for the crime of aggression have been ongoing after 2022, but there had been no actual progress on this matter in a long time.
• The major reason is that Ukraine favours the establishment of an international tribunal (on the basis of an international organisation), while key Western allies prefer the so-called hybrid format (in which the tribunal is held under Ukrainian legislation but with the backing of foreign partners).

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