Russia To Face Prosecution Of War Crimes Committed In Ukraine: IPU Resolution Adopted In Kigali

The 145th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Kigali, Rwanda, last Friday adopted a resolution calling for an immediate end to the Russian military occupation of Ukraine.

The resolution said the cessation of Russia’s occupation would restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity back to its internationally-recognized borders which extended to its territorial waters, and consequently the rule of international law.

It supported the resolutions of various international bodies to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of possible war crimes committed in Ukraine as well as the creation of courts with specific jurisdiction to investigate them.

The IPU resolution comes in the wake of a resolution that was adopted at the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week, demanding that Moscow reverse course on its “attempted illegal annexation” of four regions of Ukraine.

The adoption of the IPU resolution followed a vote to debate an emergency resolution entitled “Condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine and of the subsequent annexation of territories in defence of the territorial integrity of all states” at the plenary last Thursday.
It was submitted by the parliamentary delegation of Chile and the members of the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean parliaments.

The IPU Assembly rules stipulate that “a request for the inclusion of an emergency item must relate to a recent major situation of international concern on which urgent action by the international community is required and on which it is appropriate for the IPU to express its opinion and mobilise a parliamentary response.

Such a request must receive a two-thirds majority of the votes cast in order to be accepted by the assembly.

Source: Opemsuo.com/ Nana Kwaku Boffah