International Criminal Court: Prosecutor Karim Khan visits the Kharkiv Region in Ukraine.

21-06-2022

Grace ATALUI MOKANGO

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

On 15 June 2022, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court concluded his third visit to Ukraine in the Kharkiv region. On this occasion, the Prosecutor made a statement reiterating the cooperation between the Court and Ukraine: “I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the President of Ukraine, His Excellency Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to the Prosecutor-General of Ukraine, Ms. Iryna Venediktova and to all representatives of relevant ministries, agencies and of the diplomatic community who dedicated time to meet with me during this visit despite the exceptionally difficult circumstances currently faced by all in Ukraine”.

In his statement, the Prosecutor explained that he had seen the considerable damage caused to this town in eastern Ukraine and heard the testimonies of the suffering of the civilians. He then recalled that the belligerents must respect the applicable rules of international humanitarian law. For the Prosecutor, civilians have fundamental rights that must be defended, even in times of war, and that the law remains with them on the front lines. He thus assured the victims that his Office was acting urgently to demonstrate to all those involved in the conflict that they have responsibilities under international law to which there are no exceptions.

According to Karim Khan: “every person who picks up a gun, drives a tank or launches a missile should know that they can be held accountable where crimes are committed”. 

Source and further reading

ICC Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan QC visits Kharkiv, Ukraine on 15 June 2022. (2022). International Criminal Court. From: https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/icc-prosecutor-karim-khan-qc-visits-kharkiv-ukraine-15-june-2022