The Canadian government is sending a specialized team of RCMP investigators to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to gather evidence of potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
The RCMP will also be tasked with interviewing Ukrainians, who have come to Canada, for testimony of war crimes committed by Russian forces, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said in an interview Monday.
The RCMP have long had officers assigned to the International Criminal Court, or ICC, a global court located in the Netherlands city of The Hague, to assist in investigations involving war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
But at the request of the ICC, Mr. Mendicino said Ottawa is now sending a specialized team of RCMP officers to specifically help in the ICC’s formal investigation of alleged Russian atrocities.
“As we see human casualties pile up and the scale and size of this humanitarian crisis grow alarmingly, it is important that we hold those who are committing the atrocities responsible, and that is why Canada is making a significant contribution to the International Criminal Court’s investigation into war crimes in Ukraine,” Mr. Mendicino said.
He said RCMP officers will be part of teams of ICC investigators who will compile evidence that can later be used to prosecute Russians involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“It is essential that we preserve the record of what happened and what is happening in Ukraine in real time,” he said.
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