02 February 2016, 13:04
Russia's nonparticipation in Rome Statute is no officials' protection from ICC
The refusal of Russia or South Ossetia to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) will not hamper the investigation of the crimes committed during the 2008 conflict, Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of The Hague Court, has stated.
On February 1, Ms Bensouda said in her interview to Georgia's Channel One that in August 2008, in South Ossetia, peacekeepers were attacked by various parties in conflict.
Today, the press service of the Russia's Ministry of Justice (MoJ) pointed out that Russia cannot participate in the investigation, conducted by The Hague tribunal, because it has not ratified the Rome Statute, which regulates the ICC.
Despite this fact, the state officials, should their guilt be proved, will be punished, said earlier in an interview to the "Caucasian Knot" Simon Papuashvili, the project manager of the human rights organization International Partnership for Human Rights.
He suggested that an independent investigation into the events of 2008 could result in arrest of Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Saakashvili.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
