Kyiv: Chief prosecutor of International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan said on Wednesday that Ukraine is a ‘crime scene’.
Khan visited Bucha, where hundreds of civilians were found to be killed after Russian forces occupied the town for several weeks, AFP reported.
“Ukraine is a crime scene. We are here because we have reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the court are being committed. We have to pierce the fog of war to get to the truth… That requires independent, impartial investigation,” Khan said.
An ICC forensic team is on the job.
“We want to really make sure we separate truth from fiction. We have to keep an open mind and we have to follow the evidence,” Khan said.
“The law needs to be mobilised and sent into battle to protect civilians.”
Russia has refused to own responsibility for the brutal killings in Bucha.
President Vladimir Putin dismissed reports of Russian soldiers shooting civilians as “fake.”
US President Joe Biden has accused Russia of committing genocide.
“Yes, I called it genocide because it has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of being able to be Ukrainian. The evidence is mounting,” Biden said on Tuesday.
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