ICC prosecutor to join EU-backed joint probe on alleged war crimes in Ukraine

BRUSSELS

A prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will join an EU-backed joint investigation team (JIT) to probe possible war crimes in Ukraine, according to an official statement on Monday.

ICC Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan signed an agreement with the prosecutor generals of Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine to take part in the joint investigation team between the three countries on "alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine," the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) said in a press statement.

The agreement sends "a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice," the statement added.

It will also enable "rapid and real-time coordination and cooperation" between the authorities and facilitate the investigations, the document explained.

On March 25, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine set up a joint investigation team to gather evidence and prosecute war crimes committed in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Eurojust supports their efforts in probing these crimes with financial, legal, operational, and analytical assistance.

On March 2, the ICC's Khan announced the opening of an active investigation on core crimes committed in Ukraine.