The US Attorney General Merrick Garland has made an announcement confirming the appointment of a prosecutor to the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) and a legal advisor to the US Embassy in Kyiv to aid the Ukrainian government. The announcement was made during a meeting with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andrii Kostyn, as reported by European Pravda, referencing the meeting remarks delivered by Attorney General Garland.
During his visit to Lviv in March, Attorney General Garland announced the US joining the Joint Investigation Team (JIT). The team investigates Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine.
“As we discussed today, to further strengthen this partnership, the Justice Department will detail an experienced prosecutor to the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine, which is hosted by the JIT,” stated the US Attorney General.
According to Garland, the US prosecutor will be based at the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice (Eurojust) in The Hague and will be provided “access to the significant Departmental resources that we have deployed in response to this crisis.”
Furthermore, the Attorney General announced the appointment of a Resident Legal Advisor to the US Embassy in Ukraine. This advisor will collaborate with Ukrainian partners on numerous complex justice sector matters.
With the assistance of Eurojust, the JIT was formed to collect evidence and investigate major international crimes committed in Ukraine. The JIT comprises the International Criminal Court (ICC), Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Romania, and Estonia.
Moreover, the International Centre for the Investigation of Crimes of Russian Aggression against Ukraine is expected to commence operations in The Hague in late spring.
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