In March, 45 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) states began proceedings to “establish the facts and circumstances of possible cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity…and to collect, consolidate, and analyze this information with a view to presenting it to relevant accountability mechanisms.”  The resulting report, issued on April 14, found “clear patterns of international humanitarian law violations by the Russian forces” and recommended further investigations to “establish individual criminal responsibility for war crimes.” The Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian NGOs, and the International Criminal Court are collecting evidence for use in future legal proceedings.

Witnesses at the hearing discussed the findings of the OSCE report, examined evidence being collected to document Russian war crimes in Ukraine, and analyzed paths to bring perpetrators to justice.

International Criminal Court:

Established by the Rome Statute of 1998, the Court became operational in 2002 and has jurisdiction over its member countries (neither the US or Russia are member countries). 

International Court of Justice:

Established by  the United Nations Charter in 1945 to settle disputes between member countries.

International War Crimes Tribunals:

European Court of Human Rights:

Set up in 1959 in Strasbourg as the judicial branch of the Council of Europe, the court is charged with interpreting law within the European Convention of Human Rights. For an overview of the Court, its history and activities see:

Goldhaber, Michael D., and Michael Goldhaber. A People's History of the European Court of Human Rights, Rutgers University Press, 2007. ProQuest Ebook Central.

EUROJUST - European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation

War Crime Documentation: