On 29 September 2025, leading legal and diplomatic experts will gather in The Hague to discuss the establishment and operationalisation of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine (the Special Tribunal). The event is jointly hosted by the International Bar Association (IBA), the Embassy of Ukraine to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Event details:
WHAT: Committing to Justice for Ukraine - The Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine
WHEN: Monday 29 September 2025, 1630-1830 CET
WHERE (hybrid): In person at The Hague, the Netherlands (by invitation only) and livestreamed globally via Zoom. Pre-registration is required to attend online. A recording will be available after the event.
The event will address the legal and institutional architecture of the Special Tribunal, its relationship to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other existing accountability mechanisms. It will also examine victim participation frameworks and the role of states in supporting the Tribunal's mandate.
Speakers include:
- Ambassador Andriy Kostin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and former Prosecutor General of Ukraine;
- Dr Anton Korynevych, Director of the Department of International Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
- Mr Claudio Visco, IBA President-Elect;
- Dr Mark Ellis, IBA Executive Director;
- Ms Myroslava Krasnoborova, Liaison Prosecutor for Ukraine to Eurojust;
- Dr Veronika Plotnikova, Head of the Coordination Center for Victims and Witnesses, Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine;
- Dr Nout van Woudenberg, Cluster Coordinator 'Accountability for Ukraine', Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
This is the fourth in a series of events hosted by the IBA to support the Special Tribunal's development. Events were held earlier in Washington, DC (27 June) and Geneva (4 July) , and Kyiv (17 September) engaging legal experts, diplomats and civil society in dialogue about the imperative of accountability for the crime of aggression.
Background:
The ongoing full-scale war of aggression launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in February 2022 has led to widespread and systematic violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Atrocities committed against civilians - including war crimes, crimes against humanity and unlawful deportations - underscore the urgent need for justice and accountability. Central to this pursuit is the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, to ensure the crime of aggression does not go unpunished.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion, the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine began advocating for the establishment of a dedicated mechanism to prosecute Russia's political and military leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. In October 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a peace plan that outlined a special tribunal. The proposal has since gained support from the Council of Europe (CoE), European Parliament and a growing coalition of supportive states.
Key milestones include:
- April 2024: CoE Committee of Ministers authorised the drafting of an agreement for the Tribunal.
- March 2025: The Core Group finalised foundational legal documents.
- 9 May 2025: The agreement establishing the Tribunal was signed in Lviv.
- 25 June 2025: President Zelenskyy and the CoE Secretary General formally signed the agreement and Tribunal Statute.
