The meeting of Justice Ministers of the G7 countries with the participation of Ukraine ended in Berlin with the adoption of the Berlin Declaration on November 29, 2022. The Ministers also agreed to closely coordinate cooperation for the purpose of investigating war crimes in Ukraine and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Source: The Minister of Justice of the Federal Republic of Germany, Marco Buschmann
The Ministers of Justice of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain and the USA, as well as the Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the EU Commissioner for Justice, the Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court took part in the meeting.
“War crimes and other atrocities must not go unpunished. Prosecuting major crimes against international law is a priority for us… Our common goal is to bring the perpetrators to the fullest possible criminal responsibility in accordance with the rule of law and due process, and to restore justice to the victims and the killed,” says the Berlin Declaration.
The investigation of international law crimes committed in Ukraine became the main topic of the meeting.
“We met for the first time. Putin’s criminal war of aggression against Ukraine put us into a new era. We oppose historical injustice with unity and determination,” said the host of the meeting, the Minister of Justice of the Federal Republic of Germany, Marco Buschmann.
In addition to Ukraine, the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the International Criminal Court, and authorities in other countries are also involved in investigating war crimes in Ukraine.
“45,000 war crimes have already been documented in Ukraine, and 2,000 suspects have been identified. This shows the scale of the task,” noted the Minister of Justice of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Marco Busсhmann emphasized that war criminals had no right and would not feel safe wherever they are. In the end, the top leadership of the Russian Federation will appear before the court, and not only the executors.
See also: G7 justice ministers will discuss the investigation of war crimes in Ukraine for the first time
