On 10 July, the Committee of Ministers Rapporteur Group on Legal Co-operation held an exchange of views with representatives of civil society on accountability for crimes during the war of aggression against Ukraine. Under the theme "The Accountability for Crimes Under International Law Committed in Ukraine: the State of Play and Way Forward", representatives of Ukrainian and international civil society were invited to share their views primarily on the situation of Ukraine before the International Criminal Court, criminal proceedings before domestic courts of Ukraine and other states and current efforts to establish a special tribunal.
The exchange of views took place following the Reykjavík Declaration, adopted at the Council of Europe's 4th Summit held in Reykjavik on 16-17 May 2023, where the Council of Europe leaders stressed that "no statutes of limitation apply to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes". Furthermore, they welcomed "international efforts to hold to account the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation for its war of aggression against Ukraine and the progress towards the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression". Finally, they committed to "strengthening the work of the Council of Europe to support and promote national and international efforts, including the work of the European Court of Human Rights, the International Criminal Court, and of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine".
Programme of the exchange of views
