(The Hague) The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Tuesday the deployment to Ukraine of a team of 42 investigators and experts, the largest mission in terms of personnel ever sent on the ground, in order to investigate crimes committed during the Russian invasion.
Posted at 9:28
Updated at 9:31 a.m.
“I confirm that today my office sent a team of 42 investigators, forensic experts and other support staff to Ukraine,” Karim Khan said in a statement, adding that it was “ largest mission in terms of manpower ever deployed on the ground in one go”.
The prosecutor of the ICC, created in 2002 to try the worst crimes committed in the world, opened an investigation on March 3 into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine, after receiving the green light from nearly 40 States Parties.
Mr Khan traveled to Ukraine in April, including the Kyiv suburb of Boutcha, where at least 20 bodies were discovered on April 2.
“Thanks to the deployment of a team of investigators, we will be better able to follow leads and collect testimonies relating to military attacks that could constitute crimes covered by the Rome Statute”, founding treaty of the ICC, he said.
Mr. Khan also thanked the Dutch government for its cooperation, with the deployment of a “significant number of national experts” in support of the ICC mission, which is based in The Hague, the Netherlands.
“Our investigative and forensic activities in the field will become more efficient through this collaboration,” he added.