Statement by the Group of Friends of Accountability following the Aggression against Ukraine
Statement
by the Group of Friends of Accountability following the Aggression against
Ukraine[1]
UN
Security Council Arria-formula meeting: Ensuring Accountability for Atrocities
committed in Ukraine
27 April
2022
I am
pleased to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of Friends of
Accountability following the aggression against Ukraine, consisting of 48
Member States and the European Union.
***
We have
since the 24th of February witnessed images and reports of
indiscriminate killings of civilians, including women, children and elderly, as
well as attacks on civilian infrastructure.
We are
horrified by the reports from Bucha, the strike on the Kramatorsk railway
station, and the widespread reports of crimes of sexual and gender based
violence.
***
As
underlined by the UN Secretary General, such attacks are gross violations of
international humanitarian law and international human rights law, for which
the perpetrators must be held accountable.
The
prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is already investigating the
situation. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine will investigate violations
of human rights and international humanitarian law. And the three experts
appointed under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism have recently delivered their report,
citing a clear pattern of violations of international humanitarian law
and the most basic human rights by Russian forces.
These
efforts are complemented by national investigations, and the important work
carried out on the ground by OHCHR and civil society actors to collect and
preserve evidence.
The Group
of Friends will support these efforts to bring war criminals to justice. We
acknowledge this journey can sometimes be long and costly. It can take years.
And we will be there to sustain the process. No matter how many years.
***
While we
pursue the legal path of accountability, the UN Security Council and General
Assembly can and should express their concerns and condemnations of the
unprovoked acts of aggression, the attacks on innocent civilians and civilian
infrastructure, reports of human rights violations and breaches of
humanitarian law.
Our quest
for justice, our fight against impunity for violations of international
law, should not, must not, and cannot be pursued without
collectively taking a stand against a powerful aggressor.
It is therefore
not premature to react politically - in real time - against Russia given
credible reports that its military forces are committing atrocities against
civilians.
***
Today we
underline the importance of ensuring accountability for these crimes.
Without
accountability, crimes will continue, and impunity will persist, undermining
legitimacy and the prospects for future peace and reconciliation. Thank
you.
[1] GoF members: Albania,
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada,
Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic,
Estonia, EU, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North
Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of
America