War crimes evidence guide unveiled in nod to Ukraine

The International Criminal Court and Europe's judicial arm issued a set of guidelines Wednesday (21 September) to help civil society workers record international atrocities including war crimes and crimes against humanity, specifically in Ukraine.

Launched in The Hague, where both the ICC and Eurojust are located, the guidelines give practical tips, including how to take statements from witnesses and how to store information for later use in ICC prosecutions.

"With the war in Ukraine... accountability for core international crimes and violations of human rights is more than ever essential for international criminal justice," Eurojust's president Ladislav Hamran said.

"These guidelines will be a key building block in efforts of authorities and civil society organisations to collect and preserve information and evidence that may become admissible in court," he said in a statement.

Other tips also included taking statements from witnesses and how to photograph people as well as dealing with physical evidence to be presented in court cases.

"Civil society organisations are critical partners in our common goal to achieve accountability for international crimes," ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said.

"Through this publication, we also seek to highlight how we can work together more effectively to protect the most vulnerable when engaging in documentation efforts," he said in the statement.

Khan in April joined an EU investigations team to probe possible international crimes committed following Russia's February invasion of Ukraine.

That agreement aimed to facilitate investigations and prosecutions as well as those that could be taken forward before the ICC, Eurojust said at the time.

Wednesday's release comes as the EU called for the establishment on an international war crimes tribunal after mass graves were found outside the formerly Russian-occupied city of Izyum, with some of the exhumed bodies showing signs of torture.

Outrage as Ukraine finds mass grave near liberated Izyum

Western leaders voiced revulsion and outrage Thursday (16 September) after Ukraine found a mass grave outside the formerly Russian-occupied city of Izyum and said that almost all of the exhumed bodies showed signs of torture.