Today is the World Day of International Justice - the importance of documenting Russia's war crimes against Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
On July 17, the Rome Statute was signed. On the basis of this document, the International Criminal Court was established, which is responsible for the prosecution of persons responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Today, on July 17, various events are taking place in many countries around the world on the occasion of the World Day of International Justice, UNN reports.
On July 17, 1998, at a diplomatic conference in the Italian capital, the Rome Statute was signed and entered into force on July 1, 2002.
The Rome Statute established the International Criminal Court, a permanent legal institution with the competence to prosecute those responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Currently, 137 countries have signed the Rome Statute, and 124 of them have ratified it.
Ukraine joined the Rome Statute on January 20, 2000, but has not yet ratified it. Officials say this could happen by the end of this year.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine has been actively cooperating with the International Criminal Court. As a result, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. The Russian dictator has become the fifth head of state to be directly arrested by the ICC.
At this stage, it is important to carefully record all of Russia's war crimes against Ukraine so that they become indisputable evidence during the upcoming trial of the terrorist country.
And this is an important and responsible job for Ukrainian experts, in particular the specialists of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise.
"Since the beginning of the war, Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise has become a kind of center where Ukrainian and foreign experts work and coordinate their work to ensure the most effective expert support in the context of investigations of Russian crimes committed against Ukraine.
We closely cooperate with the International Criminal Court, whose field office in Ukraine is the largest of its offices outside The Hague. In addition, our experts are constantly in touch with foreign partners and exchange experience within the framework of membership in the European Network of Forensic Science Institutions," Oleksandr Ruvin, Director of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, told.
