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Mass Graves in Izium Renew Focus on Holding Russia Accountable


This week, the discovery of hundreds of bodies buried in a forest near the city of Izium, in northeastern Ukraine, has raised a new spotlight on potential war crimes and prompted new calls for Russia to responsible for any abuses during their occupation of the city.

Investigators say the discoveries are reminiscent of evidence of atrocities by Russian soldiers in towns like Bucha, near Kyiv. But many of the bodies remain unidentified, and the cause of death, or even how many are civilians and how many are soldiers, remains unknown.

While work to clarify how the deaths happen at Izium continues, Antony J. Blinken, the US secretary of state, said on Friday that it was important to promote liability.

At a press conference in Washington, he said that “it is important that even as the Ukrainians do everything they can to take back the land that was taken from them by Russia during this invasion, at the same time we all are working to build evidence and document the atrocities committed. “

“And in many cases, these will turn out to be war crimes,” he added.

Indiscriminate attacks on Ukrainian civilians have become a mark of the Russian invasionamong them were devastating attacks on hospitals, private homes and other targets that left thousands dead and injured.

After Russian forces withdrew from Bucha in April, they left a mark of atrocities in their rise.

Investigators build war crimes cases face great challenges. More than six months after the war, yes 20,000 war crimes investigations are continuingwith many countries and international bodies are working, and the burden of proof is high to convict.

In his nightly address on Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, reiterated several things that were found in Izium and said there was “evidence of torture, humiliating treatment of people”.

“The world has to react to all of this,” he said.

Next week, he will have the attention of world leaders. United Nations General Assembly vote on friday for him to send a pre-recorded address to the world leaders gathering in New York, the exception to its requirement that all leaders speak in person.

A war crime is an act committed during an armed conflict that violates international humanitarian law designed to protect civilians. The rules of war were codified in various treaties, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907.

Complicated efforts to prosecute potential war criminals are investigators working while the war is still raging. The Kremlin has denied the charges against its forces, and the Russian Defense Ministry has called graphic evidence of a “fake” crime.

In The Hague in July, representatives from 45 countries, including the United States and countries of the European Union, heard testimony about atrocities and committed about 20 million dollars to support the International Criminal Court, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and United Nations efforts.

Experts say the ICC, set up in 1998 to handle cases of mass atrocities, could be an important route to Russia’s accountability, despite the obstacles. Neither Russia nor Ukraine are among the 123 member states of the court, but Ukraine has given the court jurisdiction over crimes committed on its territory.

Potential war criminals are investigated as any suspected criminal activity, through interviewing witnesses, reviewing photos and videos, and gathering forensic evidence, including through ballistics analysis. , autopsies and DNA testing. Prosecutors need to prove beyond reasonable doubt that people committed a crime intentionally.

Harder to prove is the extent to which heads of state knew about or were directly responsible for what happened under their command. The history of war crimes cases shows that prosecutors face a formidable challenge in holding the Russian President, Vladimir V. Putin, to account.

Three of the most prominent prosecutions in history – against Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia, Charles Taylor of Liberia and Saddam Hussein of Iraq – were brought against leaders who have lost power; No sitting president has ever been assigned to an international court.



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