The EU Member States Must Stand up for the ICC

The ICC investigation in Ukraine is a result of an unprecedented unity of the international community in the effort to ensure accountability for grave crimes.

Now the said investigation is in jeopardy because the Court is yet again facing attacks on its independence and threats to its effectiveness. Possible sanctions can severely undermine the ICC work, particularly in Ukraine, as it will likely lose access to many of the important information sources, but also would be forced to cut relations with various stakeholders, including Ukrainian ones, due to an exponential effect the sanctions can have.

In her address Nadia Volkova, ULAG founder and director, urged the members of the European Union to make to important steps that would show their support for the ICC:

1. to send a clear message that justice is not to be politicised. It is not to become an instrument of selectivity and double standards, it serves people, more precisely victims and survivors, not politicians and or their personal interests, therefore, no state has the right to threaten or attack the institution that has the support of 124 states, including that of the EU members states.

2. to continue to rigorously motivate Ukraine’s Office of the President to ratify the Rome Statute and join the ICC. The Court has been investing a lot of resources into the Ukraine investigation, and plays a unique role in ensuring meaningful justice for Ukrainians. Having a leverage of the EU accession process, the Union and member states are in good position to actually boost the process.

Among other benefits, the ratification would strengthen the Court and its stance in the world – a much needed step in such hard times. Civil society organisation, Ukrainian and international ones, have recently called for an immediate ratification of the Rome Statute by Ukraine as well.

It is time for the international community to show up for the Court, like it showed up for Ukraine when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Humanity needs justice and justice needs the ICC.

The material was prepared with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. The material represents the position of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.