Ukraine seeks prosecution of Russian war criminals through Interpol
Illustrative photo: Ukraine wants Interpol to help hold Russian war criminals accountable (facebook.com/InterpolHQ3)
Ukraine wants to use Interpol mechanisms to pursue Russian war criminals. This will provide more opportunities to hold them accountable, according to a statement by Vitalii Kasap, head of the Department of International Police Cooperation of the National Police of Ukraine, during a briefing.
He explained that a specific Interpol mechanism aimed at using tools in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes cannot be used at Ukraine's request.
"It cannot be used for our requests due to certain reservations they see in situations of armed conflict. As a country, we are making a relevant request and we are a party to this armed conflict. And due to such a mutual and broad assessment, they concluded that such a situation could harm the interests of Interpol and its member countries," Kasap explained.
The National Police officer also clarified that Ukraine wants to use the Interpol General Assembly resolution, the mechanisms of which will provide opportunities to hold war criminals accountable.
This resolution outlines three situations in which Interpol can process requests. The first is when a request is submitted by an international tribunal, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"For example, the ICC may submit a request for the publication of a red notice regarding its suspects, and in this case, the General Secretariat must review it, and if everything is in order, they will publish it," Kasap added.
The second situation is when a request is sent by a specially created body to review a specific situation. Such a body must be established by the UN Security Council.
The third situation is when a request is made by a specific country.
At the same time, he noted that if the mechanisms and tools of the 2010 Resolution are provided, Ukraine's requests regarding Russian war criminals will automatically be directed to the Russian Federation, and accordingly, it must give its consent.
It is worth noting that recently a video appeared online showing Russian soldiers shooting six Ukrainian prisoners of war.
