Thirty-six countries approve creation of special tribunal for Ukraine

STRASBOURG, May 15: Thirty-four European states plus Australia, Costa Rica and the EU said Friday they would join a future special tribunal for Ukraine to prosecute Russia over its invasion of the country.

Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky signed an accord with the Council of Europe last year to create a legal body to prosecute the "crime of aggression" in the invasion Russia launched in 2022.

The Council of Ministers -- comprising foreign ministers from the organisation's 46-member states -- in a meeting approved a resolution laying the groundwork for the future tribunal, it said in a statement.

It added that 34 of the council's member states plus the European Union as an institution and Costa Rica and Australia had "expressed their intention" to join in the agreement establishing the court.

"The time for Russia to be held to account for its aggression is fast approaching," said Alain Berset, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, which acts as a guardian of human rights and democracy across the continent.

"The special tribunal represents justice and hope. Action now needs to be taken to follow up on this political commitment by securing the tribunal's functioning and funding," he added in the statement.

Members of the France-based rights body include the European Union's 27 countries but also key European states from outside the bloc such as Turkey, Britain and Ukraine.    �"AFP