Special tribunal for Russia сould be approved at Council of Europe meeting on May 14-15

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, reported on X that formal procedures for bringing an agreement on the creation of a Special Tribunal for Russia for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine to a vote have already been completed, and such a vote is possible at the Committee of Ministers meeting of the Council of Europe on May 14-15.

Sybiha noted that with Poland and Iceland’s announcement of their readiness to join the agreement to create a Special Tribunal for Russia for the Crime of Aggression, the minimum number of states necessary for further steps has been reached.

“We are grateful to our Icelandic and Polish partners for taking this important step. It marks a turning point: with 17 confirmations, we have officially crossed the bare minimum required by the Council of Europe for member states to put the agreement to a vote,” Sybiha reported.

“The Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA) on the Management Committee of the Special Tribunal can now be tabled and adopted during the Ministerial meeting of the CoE Committee of Ministers in Chisinau on May 14-15,” the Minister added. 

Earlier, Dr. Anton Korynevych, Director of the International Law Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, explained that the Special Tribunal will become a global mechanism, with countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia invited to join it. Ukraine is finalizing the treaty for an international committee that will govern the tribunal and influence its operations, including the appointment of judges. 

You may also want to read: Ukraine invites nations across Africa, South America, and Asia to join a global justice alliance

ZMINA reported previously that the European Union had agreed to allocate €10 million for the establishment of the Special Tribunal and an additional €6 million for victims of conflict-related sexual violence.