The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor on Wednesday said he would immediately open an investigation into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine.
Gatekeepers News reports that ICC’s prosecutor Karim Khan disclosed this in a statement.
ICC said the prosecution followed requests to do so by an unprecedented number of the court’s member states.
The referrals by member states fast-track an investigation as it allows the prosecutor to skip having to seek approval of the court in The Hague, shaving months off the process.
“Active investigations formally commence in Ukraine upon receipt of referrals by 39 state parties”, Khan tweeted.
The prosecutor’s office would start collecting evidence for “any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person”, Khan said in a statement.
