Kostin, in The Hague for normal conferences with authorized officers, mentioned if the ICC took on the prosecution of the hospital strike, it might assist set up a sample of assaults that present Russia is committing crimes towards humanity in Ukraine.
The ICC’s Workplace of the Prosecutor mentioned on Tuesday considered one of its groups had visited the location of the hospital strike. Whereas the ICC doesn’t publicly touch upon which indictments it’s investigating, it has warned that anybody deemed answerable for attacking civilian websites may very well be prosecuted.
It has issued six arrest warrants for alleged Russian crimes in Ukraine together with one towards President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations that its forces have dedicated atrocities because it invaded its neighbour.
Kostin mentioned the choice to prosecute lies with the ICC’s prosecutor, including that Ukraine was able to share any bodily proof or particulars of its investigation with the courtroom.
He mentioned that whereas Ukrainian authorities have been wanting into all of Monday’s assaults, they’ll solely carry fees of warfare crimes and never the extra critical offence of crimes towards humanity as a result of they don’t seem to be a part of Ukraine’s felony code.
A key ingredient of prosecutions for crimes towards humanity includes demonstrating systematic assaults on civilians, Kostin mentioned.
“It is vital to point out that Russia itself, in the meanwhile, is a felony state,” he mentioned.
