US military leaders fear the United States could become the target of a war crimes investigation if it helps the International Criminal Court try Russia.
The Pentagon is blocking the exchange of evidence collected by the US secret services on crimes against humanity committed by Russian forces on Ukrainian soil with the International Criminal Court (ICC), reported The New York Times.
According to the US newspaper, which heard from several official sources with knowledge of the matter, US military leaders fear that the United States of America could become the target of an investigation for the same crimes if it helps the ICC try Russia.
Despite the reluctance of the Department of Defense, the rest of the administration will be in favor of sharing information. The subject will have been addressed during a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), on February 3, during which the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, will have been emphatic in relation to the subject. Joe Biden will not yet have made a final decision.
Questioned by The New York Times, NSC spokeswoman Adrienne Watson assured that the United States “supports a series of investigations carried out to identify and hold the culprits accountable. [pelos crimes cometidos pelos russos]including through the Office of the General Prosecutor of Ukraine, the United Nations, the specialized missions established by the ‘Moscow mechanism’ of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the International Criminal Court, among others”.
“Russian forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine and Ukrainians deserve justice,” the spokeswoman stressed.
The Rome Statute, which created the ICC, was designed with the help of US lawmakers. It was signed by Bill Clinton in 2000 but has not been ratified by the Senate. Clinton’s successor, George W. Bush, withdrew the US signature. Despite the document stating that the TPI can only act when the national courts are unable to advance with the investigation, the defenders of the non-participation of the United States accredit that the court can be used by the inimitable North Americans to judge the soldiers who fought abroad.
Source: Observadora
