“Need patience”
Buschmann is betting on a trial against Putin
February 18, 2024, 7:31 a.m
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Federal Justice Minister Buschmann hopes that the Russian ruler will have to answer legally for war crimes in Ukraine. Witness statements and clues are already being collected in Germany. The FDP politician makes an appeal to all those affected.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann has reiterated his hope of seeing Russian President Vladimir Putin on trial for alleged war crimes in connection with the war of aggression against Ukraine. “I hope and wish that he will have to answer in court at some point,” Buschmann told “Bild am Sonntag”. “I know that we need perseverance for this.”
Regarding Putin’s personal responsibility, Buschmann said: “If someone gives the order to specifically violate international criminal law, then that power holder is potentially a war criminal.” Citing the Federal Ministry of Justice, the newspaper reported that German authorities had now collected more than 500 pieces of information about war crimes in Ukraine and had interviewed more than 160 witnesses.
“We want to convince more victims or witnesses of traumatizing experiences to share their experiences with the police,” said the FDP politician. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Putin. For Germany, this means collecting further evidence.
Arrest warrant against Putin
“Every photo and every film on cell phones, for example, can help with the investigation. Anyone who deletes such material is only helping the Russian war criminals,” said the Justice Minister. A conference on international criminal law will take place at the Federal Ministry of Justice next week. It would also be about the increasing Russian drone attacks on civilian facilities. “If a Russian drone is deliberately piloted by a soldier into a residential building where only civilians are present, that is a war crime,” says the Justice Minister.
They also want to strengthen international cooperation, especially with Ukraine, Poland and the USA. According to Buschmann, Poland’s new government is playing an important role in the investigation, “since the country is not only a border country, but has also taken in millions of Ukrainian refugees.” In March 2023, the International Criminal Court based in The Hague issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Putin over the alleged abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.