War crimes: ICC deploys 42 forensic experts to Ukraine

 

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The International Criminal Court, ICC has deployed  a team of 42 investigators, forensic experts and support personnel to Ukraine  to investigate alleged involvement of Russian soldiers in war crimes .

There have been allegations backed by photos evidence that officials of Russia committed war crimes in Bucha.

The ICC team will provide support to authorities in Ukraine to carry out the investigation.  In a statement, ICC Prosecutor,  Karim Khan expressed appreciation to  the government of the Netherlands whose strong cooperation in recent weeks has facilitated the secondment of a significant number of Dutch national experts in support of the mission.

“This collaboration will significantly enhance the impact of our forensic and investigative actions on the ground. In real terms, it will allow us to collect more testimonial accounts, support the identification of relevant forensic and digital materials and ensure that information and evidence is collected in a manner that strengthens its admissibility in future proceedings before the ICC”, he said.

He said the mission will focus on a set of core objectives aimed at accelerating independent investigations and strengthening synergy of investigative action with national authorities on the ground in Ukraine.

“Through the deployment of a team of investigators, we will further expand lead development and collect testimonial accounts relevant to military attacks that may constitute Rome Statute crimes. Through close cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities, our forensic experts will map the existing action of national crime scene investigators in order to trace workflows and strengthen chain of custody with respect to hard evidence”, he added.

He said his office will significantly strengthen the impact of the collective work in establishing the truth.

“ Reflecting this, the team deployed by my Office today will also engage with a team of French forensic experts on the ground in Ukraine in order to ensure continuity and continuation of their work with respect to the identification of remains, ballistics analysis and the storage and preservation of forensic evidence.

“We will also be engaging with teams deployed by other States in Ukraine in order to comprehensively map existing activities and strengthen coordination across all actors. It is my intention to ensure that this collaborative work is then continued through the consistent presence of my Office on the ground”, the ICC said.