Liz Truss: UK to send investigators to Ukraine, focus on sex violence
April 29, 2022, 3:26 pm

Liz Truss: UK to send investigators to Ukraine, focus on sex violence

The invasion of Ukraine is a paradigm shift on a level not seen since 9/11. The West has woken up and must ensure the global security architecture is fit for this new era (File photo and text: Liz Truss official Facebook page)

The Arab News reported, citing Reuters, UK foreign minister Liz Truss said on Friday (Apr 29) that Britain will send investigators to Ukraine to help gather evidence of war crimes, including sexual violence.

Both Ukrainian prosecutors and the International Criminal Court (ICC) are investigating potential war crimes in Ukraine since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, which the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” to demilitarise its neighbor.

Moscow denies committing war crimes in Ukraine or targeting civilians during a war that has killed thousands, devastated many cities and towns and forced five million people, mostly women and children, to flee abroad.

On April 19, Russia hit over 1,200 Ukrainian targets with missiles, airstrikes and artillery (Photo: Euromaidan Press)

Speaking after meeting with ICC officials, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said a British team would head to Ukraine in May with a special emphasis on investigating rape as a possible war crime.

8,000 British troops set for biggest deployment to Europe since the Cold War

She said: “It’s done to subjugate women and destroy communities and we want to see it stopped."

She said outside the court building in The Hague: “This is about collecting a wide range of evidence, witness statements, forensic evidence, and video evidence."

In a meeting with her Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra, Truss said Britain endorses prosecuting Russian leaders for the war crime of aggression — a thorny question under international law.

Liz Truss urges NATO and G7 partners to ban Russian ships and set timetable for oil and gas exit

The ICC has jurisdiction over war crimes committed on Ukrainian soil, including by Russian soldiers, but cannot bring aggression charges since Russia is not a member of the court.

Some politicians and legal experts have called for the establishment of a separate tribunal as the quickest way to hold Russian politicians responsible for an illegal war.

Truss said: “We want to see all the crimes prosecuted."

Liz Truss reveals UK's conditions for lifting Russia sanctions

However, she added, “I’m concerned that if there’s focus on setting up an additional tribunal that will divert resources away from this vital evidence collecting.”

Source: arabnews

Tadamon Massacre Landslide kills 12 women at illegal gold mine in Indonesia's Sumatra island

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.