Ukraine, war crimes, and Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been indicted for war crimes. This week, Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes asks whether international law can really bring justice.

“The real crime of crimes in this story is the decision to go to war. Every other crime – the deportation of children, the crimes against humanity, the war crimes – is a consequence of the decision to go to war,” says Philippe Sands, lawyer and author of East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity (2016).

Will we ever see Russia’s leader in court?

“People are very impatient to say: ‘Why hasn’t Putin been put in jail? How can this war continue?’ It will take time, hopefully something will happen, but we all have our doubts,” says analyst Daniel Warner.

What does the focus on Ukraine mean for accountability in countries such as Ethiopia or Myanmar, where war crimes are alleged too?

“The response to Russia’s aggression against the people of Ukraine stands out: in investigation of human rights violations, the delivery of justice and accountability. It could serve as a model, and it could help the world imagine a new international order,” says Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International.

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