Lemmy.World

The Department of Justice said it was pulling out of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) two years after the Biden administration joined it with a commitment to hold Putin, Russia’s president, to account for the 2022 invasion and subsequent crimes committed by Russian forces.

An announcement by the justice department was expected later on Monday.

The centre was established to hold the leaders of Russia and its allies in Belarus, North Korea and Iran accountable for a category of crimes listed as aggression under international law for undertaking and supporting the attack.

On Monday, the New York Times cited an internal letter from the group’s parent organisation, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust).

“The US authorities have informed me that they will conclude their involvement in the ICPA,” Michael Schmid, Eurojust’s president wrote.

(...) "The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA), was established to hold the leaders of Russia and its allies in Belarus, North Korea and Iran accountable for a category of crimes listed as aggression under international law for undertaking and supporting the attack.(..)

“The US authorities have informed me that they will conclude their involvement in the ICPA,” Michael Schmid, Eurojust’s president wrote.

He said the centre’s work would continue without US participation, with the group “fully committed” to holding accountable “those responsible for core international crimes”(..)