The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is to begin investigating the situation in Ukraine, after receiving referrals from 39 countries – including Ireland.

Karim Khan had indicated earlier in the week that he intended to seek authorisation to open such an investigation, after a preliminary examination by his office.

“My office had already found a reasonable basis to believe crimes within the jurisdiction of the court had been committed, and had identified potential cases that would be admissible,” he said in a statement.

The prosecutor added that referrals from the 39 ICC-affiliated countries, which came after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, would enable his office to go ahead with an investigation into the situation in the country from 21 November 2013 onwards.

Additional resources

This would encompass “any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person,” Khan stated, adding that the collection of evidence had now started.

The prosecutor said he would look for contributions from all states to address the court’s need for additional resources.

He repeated an earlier call to all those engaged in hostilities in Ukraine to adhere strictly to the applicable rules of international humanitarian law.