Vladimir Putin is facing a global arrest warrant for Bucha’s atrocities, said an international relations expert. Images of the mutilated corpses have been circulating around the world, but Dr Catherine Gegout said it would not be easy to prove that the Russian leader had committed war crimes and even more difficult to prove that it was “genocide”. According to the International Criminal Court (ICC), genocide is the deliberate destruction of people – usually defined as a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. “It simply came to our notice then [proving genocide] “It’s really difficult to prove that there is an intention to destroy – in whole or in part – a team,” said the associate professor at the University of Nottingham. “When this criterion has been applied to other leaders in the past, it was really difficult to prove that they had any intention. “It is not enough to see the corpses – you have to prove this intention. “In the case of Vladimir Putin, that would be possible because of what he has said about Ukrainians in the past. More than 410 civilian bodies found after Bucha recapture (Image: EPA) Tanya Nedashkivska, 57, mourns her husband’s death in Bucha (Image: AP) War debris and rubbish on Bucha streets (Image: Zuma / REX / Shutterstock) Serhii Lahovskyi, 26, and other residents carry Ihor Lytvynenko’s body to be buried in a garden (Image: Reuters) “In his speeches he says that he does not recognize Ukraine as a nation and he has repeated it in 2014 and maybe in 2018. It is historic. “When he published his historic work in July 2021, he basically said that Ukraine should not exist. So, I think there is a possibility that we will show this intention “. Dr Gegout’s comments came as President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN Security Council that Ukraine was committing “the most heinous war crimes” since World War II. The Kremlin continues to deny responsibility for the horror in Bucha, but is believed to be “the tip of the iceberg.” Facing tears, President Zelensky spoke to the press during his visit to the war-torn Bucha (Image: AFP) President Zelensky spoke to the United Nations Security Council via video link (Image: Getty) Russia’s Defense Ministry also insisted that “not a single civilian has been subjected to violence by the military.” However, the mountains of evidence shared by Ukrainian officials, citizens, refugees and NGOs are because it was “too simple” for Boris Johnson and other world leaders to call them “war crimes,” Dr. Gegout said. The expert said that war crimes are defined as serious violations of the Geneva Conventions and include acts of premeditated murder, torture, inhuman treatment and unlawful confinement. “We know all this has happened, it’s clear,” he added. “Thus, with war crimes, you do not need to have this intention as with genocide. “War crimes happen when you start targeting civilians. According to the rules of war, you should not target civilians or bomb hospitals like in Mariupol. To view this video, enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The map shows the movement of Russian troops retreating from Bucha (Image: Metro Graphics) “Instead, you should fight an army. This is a conventional war. “For example, a genocide would like to eliminate the French or German nation. “And then the difference between genocide and mass murder lies in the intention to target a group defined by ethnicity, religion, nationality or race.” International outrage erupted after the shocking scenes in Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Liz Throssell said the video from Buha showed that “all the signs” of the civilians were “immediately targeted and killed”. Ukrainian officials have also called for a new war crimes tribunal to be set up, similar to the one prosecuted for atrocities in the former Yugoslavia. We have all seen the shocking images of Bucha. This is what happens when Putin’s troops occupy Ukrainian territory. This is called liberation. I call this war crimes. The Russian authorities will have to answer for that. https://t.co/IxFaO2rZu3 – Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 6, 2022 “I do not think it will be difficult to prove Russia’s war crimes, I think it is very likely,” said Dr Gegout. “The ICC will already have enough data. Genocide can also be proven, but it is not very likely simply because it is so difficult to prove. “How you collect data is important. Now that the International Court of Justice has opened an investigation, there is a push for documentation gathering and sharing from sources such as Bellingcat, citizens, charities, NGOs, refugees.
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“The point is that the ICC will want Putin, but it is unlikely he will ever get him. “The only way to get him is to change the regime in Russia and have someone hand him over. We can not just go in and get it. “We can not expect much from this process, but for me, the fact that the president is wanted for war crimes, even if he never arrives in The Hague, is important.” Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
