Nine Balkan States Join Declaration for War Justice in Ukraine, Demand End to Russian War

Nine Balkan states and their neighbours have signed an international declaration demanding an end to Russia's war against Ukraine. The declaration also calls for greater support for investigating war crimes and compensating victims of Russian violence, as reported by Balkan Insight.

Among the signatories of the declaration are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Romania. The document, signed at the international conference "Restoring Justice for Ukraine" in The Hague, also urges Russia to comply with the March 2022 United Nations International Court order demanding an end to the invasion.

The signatories of the declaration stated that they are "committed to enhancing collective actions to ensure accountability for all violations of international law committed in or against Ukraine, including human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law that may constitute international crimes."

They welcomed the investigation and judicial prosecution by the Ukrainian authorities of suspects involved in international crimes during the war. Representatives of the signatory countries also stated that all states participating in the conference should assist the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court by providing forensic expertise to aid investigations in Ukraine.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to establishing a "special tribunal for investigating and prosecuting the crime of aggression against Ukraine, which will contribute to holding senior military and political leadership accountable."

In March 2022, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine formed a Joint Investigative Team to investigate crimes in Ukraine with the support of the EU's Eurojust judicial body. In April 2022, the International Criminal Court in The Hague joined the Joint Investigative Team, followed by Estonia, Latvia, and Slovakia in May, and Romania in October.

In March 2023, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and his Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lyvova-Belova for alleged war crimes - the illegal deportation of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.

Last month, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC also issued arrest warrants for Lieutenant General Sergei Kobilyash and Admiral Viktor Sokolov of the Russian army. They are accused of war crimes related to directing attacks on civilian objects and killings.