They demand to investigate crimes in Ukraine: George and Amal Clooney Foundation sues Russian military
Kyiv • UNN
According to the Foundation, on Monday, a lawsuit was filed with the Austrian Federal Prosecutor's Office demanding an investigation into crimes of sexual violence and murder committed by Russian troops in Ukraine.
The International Center for the Defense of Human Rights (CEHRI) and the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ), headed by UN human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and her husband, Hollywood star George Clooney, are suing the Russian military, UNN reports with reference to BILD.
Details
According to the foundation, on Monday, a lawsuit was filed with the Austrian Federal Prosecutor's Office demanding an investigation into crimes of sexual violence and murder committed by Russian troops in Ukraine.
It is based on evidence against the criminals who seized a village in the Kyiv region in the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. CFJ represents two women who were raped by Russian soldiers at the time.
The lawsuit is directed against the direct perpetrators of the crimes, as well as seven mid-level and senior commanders recognized as suspects.
"Olena" and "Olga" (names changed) were taken from their homes at night by drunk Russian soldiers accompanied by their commander. The soldiers came to Olena first. When she asked if the soldiers would kill her, the commander said she had nothing to fear because "the guys just want to have fun.
Then the soldiers went to Olga's house. When her husband tried to stop them from taking his wife away, the soldiers shot him dead on the spot.
According to the lawsuit, after repeated rapes, both women managed to escape and return to their homes. A few weeks later, the village was liberated by Ukrainian troops. One of the women stayed there, while the other fled to Austria.
CEHRI, an Austrian non-profit organization, conducted a detailed legal analysis that showed that, based on the principles of extraterritorial jurisdiction, Austria has the authority to investigate and prosecute these crimes as war crimes and crimes against humanity in Austrian courts.
CFJ Foundation noted in its statement: "The crimes were committed as part of a widespread and systematic pattern of human rights violations against civilians in the territories occupied by Russian forces, which has been extensively documented by UN bodies and other organizations.
"This case is, above all, a testament to the incredible courage of two Ukrainian women who decided to speak out and seek justice," says Anja Neistat, Legal Director of the European Court Docket Initiative.
The case file includes detailed evidence collected during on-site investigations in Ukraine, as well as a comprehensive analysis of open-source data used to gather information about individual criminals, command structures and other evidence.
CEHRI calls on the Austrian authorities to launch criminal investigations and issue international arrest warrants for the suspects.