War crimes in Ukraine: EU Parliament with a large majority for a special tribunal

With a large majority, the EU Parliament has called for a special tribunal on the war against Ukraine. It is intended to punish Russian war crimes – right up to President Putin. But not all MEPs are convinced.

The message from Strasbourg is clear: the warmongers in the Kremlin must be in the dock because the overwhelming majority in the European Parliament is convinced that there can be no peace without justice.

A special tribunal should ensure that the political and military leaders in Moscow are held accountable, including President Vladimir Putin. The body should also take care of the regime of the Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko.

Massacres should be punished

“Russian war criminals will not go unpunished, because impunity for this breach of civilization would be the most bitter defeat for the international community,” says Nicola Beer, parliamentary vice president and member of the FDP.

In their statement, MEPs recalled the Russian massacres in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities. Thousands of innocent civilians have been murdered, tortured, sexually abused or abducted, including many children.

For Green MP Sergei Lagodinsky, Russian crimes didn’t just begin with the massacres: “Crimes don’t begin with the dead in Bucha, not with torture chambers in Cherson, not with filtration camps in Donbass. Crimes started with the attack by Russian troops on the Ukraine started. First in 2014, then in 2022.”

International Criminal Court cannot prosecute crimes

The International Criminal Court in The Hague already has a court for prosecuting war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Investigations against Russia because of the attack on Ukraine are currently almost impossible because Moscow has not signed the legal basis for the court.

A special tribunal could close this gap in international law, Lagodinsky believes. A number of EU countries support calls for a new court, including the Baltic countries, France, Poland and the Netherlands. Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock is also in favor of it.

Criticism of AfD and Irish left

Criticism comes from the parties on the left and right of the European Parliament. Bernhard Zimniok from the AfD speaks of a fundamentally right demand at the wrong time: “You not only anticipate the outcome of the war, which I consider more than optimistic in view of the military development, such a demand is particularly relevant in the current situation contribute to a further escalation of the crisis and thus make a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the war more difficult.”

Irish leftist Mick Wallace says Parliament’s move is hypocritical. Of course, Russia must be held accountable for its crimes. However, NATO countries got away with their “wars of aggression” against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen.

The vast majority of MEPs, however, sees things differently – like Andrius Kubilius: “The road back to peace begins with the establishment of a special tribunal,” says the Lithuanian Christian Democrat. “Let’s not be too late with that – unlike with ‘Leopard’.”