Romania joins referring situation in Ukraine to ICC prosecutor

Romania on Wednesday joined a request to refer the aggression in Ukraine to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to a press statement released by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE).This is a joint move by states parties to the Rome Statute to refer a situation to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for an investigation of crimes of genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine, including amidst the ongoing Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine.Thirty-nine countries are participating in the process: all the EU member states plus the United Kingdom, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Albania, Australia, Norway and Switzerland.The aim is to speed up the judicial proceedings of the international court and to start immediately the investigation by the ICC prosecutor, especially in connection with the current situation.The action is based on the provisions of Article 13 (a) and Article 14 (1) of the Rome Statute, as well as on the declaration of Ukraine of September 8, 2015 accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for the purpose of conducting criminal investigations into the events that took place on its soil since February 20, 2014."This approach reflects the determination of the international community to use the instruments of international law and international justice to hold those officials or other representatives of the Russian Federation accountable for their aggression against Ukraine. It is an instrument the world community is using to prove it is ready to penalise the irresponsible actions by the Kremlin officials who pose a serious threat to world peace and security," Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is quoted as saying in the statement.He added that Romania's involvement in this endeavor, along with 38 other states parties to the ICC Statute, "confirms Romania's firm commitment to combatting impunity for the most serious crimes and to strengthening respect for the values of peace and humanism, including by asserting its constant and irreversible commitment to international law.""The victims of Russia's aggression in Ukraine deserve justice, and the International Criminal Court is best positioned to do so. No crime can and should not go unpunished!," he added.