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Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe Borys Tarasyuk has said that work on the statute of a Special Tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression is expected to be finalized within the next few weeks. The vote on the joint agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe, which would establish the Tribunal, is likely to take place in May.
He said this in a commentary to an Ukrinform correspondent following a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
“The process of the establishment should end in April, and my vision is that it is expected to be finalized in May. Therefore, my proposal to the leadership, which was supported by PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos, is to use the ministerial meeting in Luxembourg to actually sanctify the establishment of the Special Tribunal,” Tarasyuk said.
He noted that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe meets once a year. The upcoming meeting is scheduled to take place in Luxembourg on May 14, coinciding with the conclusion of the country’s current rotating presidency of the Council of Europe. Tarasyuk underscored the significance of this meeting, stating that it will serve as a pivotal occasion for the formal adoption of the necessary documents to launch the work of the special tribunal.
“The Council has expressed its political support; however, the work of the Core Group must first be completed. This is expected to happen in March, at which point the next meeting of the group will be held in Strasbourg. Following the completion of the aforementioned developments, specifically the Tribunal’s charter, the documents will be submitted to the Committee of Ministers. Following the Committee’s approval, the Secretary General will be authorized to endorse the bilateral document on behalf of the Council of Europe. And a person authorized by the President will also be empowered to endorse the document on behalf of Ukraine,” he said.
According to experts, with whom Tarasyuk agrees, only one “very important” country can express a separate position and suspend the “irreversible process” of creating a special tribunal.
As Ukrinform reported, on February 4, the first draft charter of a Special Tribunal for Russia was presented in Brussels. The Special Tribunal will be established by an agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Council of Europe. It will derive its jurisdiction from Ukraine. The Council of Europe will be in charge of the procedure for the adoption of the draft legal instruments necessary for the establishment of the Special Tribunal and subsequent signature.
Once operational, the Tribunal will have the power to hold to account Russian political and military leaders, who bear the greatest responsibility for the crime of aggression.
