Agreement signed on establishing special tribunal for 'crime of aggression' against Ukraine

Paris, June 26 (IANS) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset signed an agreement on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, including the Statute of the Special Tribunal in the Strasbourg city of France.

"Together with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, we signed the agreement on the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Today's agreement and this tribunal give us a real chance to ensure justice for the crime of aggression," Zelensky posted on X on Thursday

"We must send a clear message: aggression leads to punishment. And we must do this together — as all of Europe. The Hague is waiting for those responsible. There must be accountability. We are grateful to the Council of Europe for taking the lead in this process. Justice will certainly be restored," the post added.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also took to social media, welcoming the agreement.

"I warmly welcome the agreement signed between President Zelensky and the Council of Europe to establish the Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression. The aggressors will need to face the judges. And justice will prevail," the European Union chief said in a post on X.

The Council of Europe is the continent's leading human rights organisation. The organisation's Committee of Ministers, composed of representatives of its 46 member states, on Wednesday authorised Secretary General Berset to sign the agreement.

"Ukraine and the Council of Europe have signed an agreement to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. This historic signature reminds us that international law must apply to all — with no exceptions, and with no double standards. This is a tribunal to judge between victims and aggressors, between impunity and accountability, because without accountability, there can be no lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe as a whole," said Secretary General Berset.

The establishment of the Special Tribunal was requested by the Ukrainian authorities on May 13, and endorsed by the annual meeting of the Council of Europe foreign ministers in Luxembourg the following day.

--IANS

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