( Observer Network ) On March 23 local time, US Secretary of State Blinken issued a statement announcing that based on the information currently available, the US government assesses that the Russian army committed "war crimes" in Ukraine.
Some US media have questioned that the court that has jurisdiction over the so-called "war crimes" is usually International Criminal Court (ICC), but the United States is not a party to the International Criminal Court . Van Shaq, ambassador of the US State Department for Global Criminal Justice Affairs, said on the 23rd that he would consider all possible options to "account" for Russia.
Blinken said on the 23rd that since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, "we have seen many credible reports on indiscriminate attacks and intentional attacks on civilians, as well as other atrocities. Russian troops destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, important infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centers and ambulances, resulting in thousands of casualties of innocent civilians."
He cited the Russian army's attacks on maternity and gynecology hospitals and theaters in Mariupol , but the Russian side has refuted this statement many times before.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said on the 210th that the hospital had no women and children a long time ago and had been occupied by the "Azov Camp" and used as a stronghold. As for the theater, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defense said on the 16th that the Russian military learned about the report that the "Azov" militants left civilians in the theater as human shields, so they did not believe that the building was the target of the air strike. According to reliable information, the "Azov Camp" carried out bloody provocations by blowing up the theater building that they had already been mined.
Blinken said in a statement on the 23rd that he said last week that "deliberately targeting civilians is a war crime, and I stress that the State Department and other U.S. government experts are recording and assessing potential war crimes in Ukraine."
"Today, I can officially announce that based on the information currently available, the U.S. government evaluates that members of the Russian military have committed war crimes in Ukraine." Blinken said.
He also said that the criminal offenses in specific cases will be decided by the courts that have jurisdiction over the crime. The U.S. government will continue to track reports on war crimes and will share information with allies, partners and international organizations as appropriate. "We are committed to using all available tools to hold accountable, including criminal prosecution."
It is worth mentioning that US consumer news and business channel (CNBC) pointed out on the 23rd that Blinken said whether Russia is guilty will be decided by the court, , but he did not mention that the courts that have jurisdiction over the so-called "war crimes" are usually the International Criminal Court (ICC), but the United States is not a party to the International Criminal Court.
reported that the International Criminal Court was established in 2002 to prosecute and trial crimes such as war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. However, the court was established at the time when the United States was involved in the Afghanistan war and was preparing to invade Iraq .
Local time on March 2, 2022, Russia's Belgorod region, Russia, Russian soldiers marched on the border between Russia and Ukraine. Source: Visual China
US President Biden On March 16, he claimed that Putin was a "war criminal", which was strongly protested by Russia. On March 10, U.S. Vice President Harris, who is visiting Poland , was asked whether Russia committed "war crimes" in Ukraine. He said, "Any deliberate attack on innocent civilians is a violation. United Nations has set up a procedure to conduct review and investigation, and we will certainly participate when appropriate and necessary."
Also on the 10th, when asked about Harris' remarks, White House spokesman Psaki said: "Obviously, if Russia deliberately targets civilians, it will be a 'war crime'. But we need to pass legal evaluation and review to make a formal conclusion."
CNN) said on the 23rd that the US government's decision to issue "formal charges" against Russia was a major measure after refusing to formally claim that the attacks on Ukrainian civilians were "war crimes".But it remains to be seen whether those accused, or even Putin, should "take responsibility".
US State Department’s Global Criminal Justice Ambassador Beth Van Schaack said at a State Department briefing later on the 23rd that she could not specify in detail which events the United States evaluated were “war crimes” and that the United States is “focusing on a wide range of actions that the Russian military has participated” and that “in this conflict, it will be a continuous process.”
A reporter questioned how the United States would hold Russia accountable because “it is basically impossible to have a court authorized or approved by the United Nations to handle the matter.” van Shaack said that the United States will consider all possible options, including domestic courts in the United States. She said the United States welcomes the newly appointed prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to investigate the situation in Ukraine.
A reporter asked, "The United States is not a party to the International Criminal Court, and the previous government also sanctioned several officials of the court. "Will you cooperate with the new prosecutor of the International Criminal Court?" Van Shaq said: "I think everything can be discussed, and we are considering various accountability plans (to Russia)." But she also pointed out that as a non-state, the United States "has no affirmative obligation of cooperation."
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