Czech President Supports Creation of War Crimes Tribunal for Russia

Czech President Petr Pavel has said he supports the creation of an international war crimes tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its atrocities in Ukraine, he said in a video address posted on Twitter on May 9.

“It is important to investigate these crimes, which is why I unequivocally support the creation of the tribunal,” Pavel  said.

“It is a key step on the road to both peace and justice,” he went on to say.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at an online summit of the Core Group international coalition of May 9 dedicated to the issue of establishing a special tribunal to investigate numerous Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine.

All 37 participants of the summit “confirmed their resolve to hold Russia’s top leadership accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote later on Twitter.

The European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have also voted to support the creation of a special international tribunal.

On Monday, May 8, Mr. Pavel and other leading state representatives honoured the victims of the Second World War at Prague’s Vítkov memorial on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of the war in Europe.

In his speech, the president compared the conflict to the ongoing war in Ukraine, highlighting that he was proud Czechia has been providing Ukraine with significant levels of support from the start.

He also pointed out that the Soviet soldiers who fought in the Second World War do not carry any responsibility for the contemporary Russian state, but warned that the tradition of commemorating the fallen should not be abused by those who spread Russian propaganda.