Ukraine has claimed that Russian troops have started raping women as they continue their invasion attempt. Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Vladimir Putin's forces of committing sex attacks as they invade cities, and that there are 'numerous' cases of women being targeted, reports the Mirror.
Speaking to the Chatham House foreign affairs think-tank via a video link, he said: "When bombs fall on your cities, when soldiers rape women in the occupied cities - and we have numerous cases of, unfortunately, when Russian soldiers rape women in Ukrainian cities - it's difficult of course to speak about the efficiency of international law.
“But this is the only tool of civilisation that is available to us, to make sure that in the end, eventually, all those who made this war possible will be brought to justice, and the Russian Federation, as a country that committed an act of aggression, will be held accountable for its deeds.”
Mr Kuleba has also called on the media to “spread the truth about Russia’s crimes against Ukraine”. He thanked people for their continued support, saying: “I appreciate that all of you stand by Ukraine. We are fighting against the enemy who is much stronger than us. But international law is on our side, and hopefully it will help us, it will make its own contribution, to help us prevail.”
Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown also addressed the panel, where he insisted putting Putin in the dock was “a realistic option”. He said: “This act of aggression by Russia, deplored in the strongest terms this week by the UN General Assembly, cannot go uninvestigated, unprosecuted and unpunished. But there is a serious gap in international law. Since Russia is not party to the statute of the International Criminal Court, this crime of aggression cannot, as things stands, be investigated by the prosecutor.”
Moscow pulled out of the ICC in 2016. Charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide can be brought against Russia even though it is not a signatory. However, the crime of aggression cannot be prosecuted against people from a non-ICC state - unless the UN Security Council makes a referral.
That cannot happen because Russia is one of the Council’s five permanent members and has a veto. Even if Putin was charged, he would need to be arrested by a state that is signed up to the ICC - so if he never left Russia he would be highly unlikely to be arrested.
But Mr Brown said that trying Putin was “a realistic option”.
International human rights QC Philippe Sands told Chatham House: “When Charles de Gaulle an dothers met in London in january 1942 it must have been unimaginable that ever Nazi leaders like Hermon Goerring and others would find themselves in the dock, and yet three years later that is what happened.”
He added: “Who knows? But it’s not impossible.”
