after the Boutcha massacres, can we speak of war crimes?

Faced with the bombardments of the Mariupol theatre, its maternity ward, residential areas, but also faced with the latest images of Boutcha, where the corpses of civilians were discovered, can we speak of war crimes? Several countries accuse Russia of this and NGOs are investigating on the ground to accumulate evidence and testimonies. “We have finally been able to authenticate these last so atrocious images coming from Boutcha, and we know of course that there is a propaganda war. Despite everything, it seems clear to us that it goes in the same direction as everything we have been able to document so far.“, details CÉcile Coudrieu, President of Amnesty International France.

War crime is defined by the Geneva Convention. Intentional homicides against civilians, torture, unjustified destruction, deportations and hostage taking are recognized as such. Earlier this week, the UN expressed serious concerns about this. But the International Criminal Court, which has jurisdiction over the issue, has never seen its statutes ratified by Russia.