The Pentagon had previously blocked these investigations over the possible prosecution of US troops abroad.
MADRID, 8 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The US Department of Justice will collaborate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to share evidence of possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine, investigations that until then had been blocked due to concerns about the possible prosecution of US troops deployed abroad. .
“The United States will cooperate with ICC investigations of foreign nationals arising out of the dire situation in Ukraine. The Department of Justice will be an integral part of that cooperation,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said during a speech.
“Two months ago, I visited the ICC in The Hague, the first time a US cabinet member has done so, and met with its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan. The aim was to take advantage of the ongoing cooperation between the court and the government. of the US on a variety of issues, including Ukraine,” Garland added.
The TPI opened an investigation into possible US crimes in Afghanistan in 2017, after which the Donald Trump Administration expressed its outrage and imposed sanctions on the prosecutor. Court officials later announced that the case against US forces in Afghanistan would receive lower priority.
On the other hand, the attorney general has praised the investigations carried out by the Ukrainian authorities to collect evidence of possible Russian war crimes in bombed sites such as hospitals, residential buildings, theaters or schools.
In addition, he has reported that they have exhumed “massive graves” and “carefully” studied the bodies of the victims to “tell the stories of those who can no longer do so.”
In this sense, the Ukrainian investigations would have also managed to prove the deportation of Ukrainian children or the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
