Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the evidence emerging from Bucha as 'genocide' and says the UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday will discuss potential war crimes by Russian forces
Rules on international warfare were agreed after the Second World War as part of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which were signed by all members of the UN - including Russia.The UN definition of a war crime is a serious breach of international humanitarian law committed against civilians or"enemy combatants" during an armed conflict.
"The deliberate targeting of civilians is a war crime, in and of itself, every day of the week," he said. Genocide is the most serious and requires proof of a"concerted effort to wipe out a national group", such as those against Jews in Nazi Germany and the Tutsi minority in Rwanda.There are then grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, which include any attacks on civilians or civilian targets.In 2017 a fourth category of war crime - aggression - was agreed by the ICC to make the prosecution of political leaders themselves easier.
"It's not going to be easy to put anyone at the top level on trial… but it may be easier at the bottom level".He added:"This is not going to happen soon. Unfortunately it's going to be a long time in the future." Instead Moscow's first deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polansky, described what happened in Bucha as a"blatant provocation by Ukrainian radicals".Professor Clarke said Russia"always deny everything"."They go through three phases," he told Sky News.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bucha Residents Say Russian Troops Killed CiviliansResidents of the Ukrainian town of Bucha near the capital of Kyiv have given harrowing accounts of how Russian troops shot and killed civilians without any apparent reason
Read more »
Ukraine war: Russian troops pull out of Bucha, leaving civilians lying dead on the streetsSky News has verified two videos showing bodies on the streets of Bucha, including one where at least seven bodies lie on the road and on the pavement, while Reuters has reported on a mass grave in the grounds of a church.
Read more »
Hunt for Russian commanders in charge of Bucha atrocities as colonel namedThe suspected commander of Russian operations in Bucha has been named by Ukrainian sources amid demands for accountability over the atrocities by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Read more »
Zelenskiy calls Russian forces ‘butchers’ over Bucha massacre | First ThingUkraine president says worse atrocities may yet be uncovered as satellite images show mass grave near church in Bucha. Plus, scientists urge end to fossil fuel use
Read more »
‘A terrible war crime’: Killing of civilians in Ukraine’s Bucha sparks global outrageWestern nations unite in condemnation of Russia over civilian killings, as hundreds of bodies are found in towns around Kyiv
Read more »
Killing of civilians in Bucha and Kyiv condemned as ‘terrible war crime’Europe pledges further sanctions against Russia after reports of killing of scores of unarmed Ukrainians
Read more »