Netherlands: ‘People’s court’ tries Vladimir Putin for war in Ukraine

A “people’s court” is putting Russian President Vladimir Putin on trial for the crime of aggression over his invasion of Ukraine, in a symbolic move to close an “accountability gap” in the absence of an international tribunal with jurisdiction

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A “people’s court” put Russian President Vladimir Putin on trial Monday for the crime of aggression over his invasion of Ukraine, in a symbolic move to close an “accountability gap” in the absence of an international tribunal with jurisdiction.

The court has no legal powers but prosecutors said they will present evidence that Putin committed the crime of aggression by ordering the invasion nearly a year ago, unleashing a devastating war that has killed thousands and left towns and cities in ruins.

“This is a crime that belongs in the annals of infamy. It is a crime that demands accountability,” said Drew White, a Canadian lawyer acting as one of the court’s prosecutors.

While the International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into crimes committed in Ukraine, it does not have jurisdiction to prosecute Russia’s leaders for aggression.

However, international pressure is mounting for a special tribunal to be established to prosecute the crime. The European Union’s legislature passed a non-binding resolution in January calling on the 27-nation bloc to work “in close cooperation with Ukraine to seek and build political support in the U.N. General Assembly and other international forums … for creating the special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.”