Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Ukraine: Potential Russian War Crimes

Thursday 20 October 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Giles Watling asked about holding Russian soldiers accountable for crimes committed in Ukraine.
  • Giles Watling inquired about UK Government assistance in collating evidence for Ukrainian accountability efforts.
  • Jim Shannon raised concerns about verified war crimes committed by Russia, including bombings of civilians and torture.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Giles Watling Con
Ukraine
Context

The MP is concerned about the lack of media focus on ongoing atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine. He seeks clarity on whether all crimes must be taken into account and if Mr Putin should also face accountability.

Question

I thank the Attorney General for his answer. This abhorrent invasion is no longer focused on by the media as it should be, and there are atrocities going on every day. Does he agree that every crime committed by Russian soldiers must be taken into consideration and people must be held to account, as must their leader, Mr Putin?

Answer from Michael Ellis

I thank my hon. Friend for his question, and he is right. The Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group was launched on 25 May by the EU, the US and the UK to ensure efficient co-ordination of respective efforts. It is a very complicated area, but we want to support accountability efforts on the ground. My colleague in the other place, Lord Ahmad, has already announced £2.5 million of UK support for that initiative and for elements of that organisation, including the deployment of mobile justice teams, and training for judges is already under way.

Answered
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Q2 Giles Watling Con
Justice & Courts Ukraine
Context

The MP emphasises the urgency of collecting and collating evidence from war crimes in Ukraine. He asks if there are specific steps the Government can take to expedite this process.

Question

It is obviously important that all the evidence the Ukrainians are gathering to seek out those who have carried out crimes is collated quickly. Is there any help that our Government can give the Ukrainians to do that? It is so important that those people are held accountable before the courts sooner rather than later. What can be done to expedite the process?

Answer from Michael Ellis

Justice delayed is justice denied, and that is as accurate today as it ever was. We have to move at pace, while getting it right, and collating the evidence is important. I can tell the hon. Gentleman that we are doing everything we can to support the Ukrainians in every conceivable way, including in this area.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps not detailed

How: Moving At Pace

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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Crime & Law Enforcement Ukraine
Context

The MP welcomes the Attorney General's return and highlights independent investigators' findings of war crimes committed by Russia. She asks for specific actions to ensure perpetrators face consequences.

Question

I welcome the Attorney General back to his place; he is providing much needed continuity amidst the chaos. Bombings of civilians, conducting executions, torturing war prisoners and sexual violence—independent investigators have concluded that Russia has committed all those crimes. I have heard what the Government intend to do, but what specific steps will they take now and in the future to ensure that perpetrators face the consequences of their actions in an international court?

Answer from Michael Ellis

I thank the hon. Lady for raising that. Of course, this is a cross-party issue. We want to see these horrific crimes brought to justice. We will do everything we can to support the Ukrainians in that effort, and we are working across the international community to do that. We have put money into mobile justice teams and training judges for the Ukrainians. We are doing everything we can and will continue to do more.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps not detailed

How: Doing Everything We Can

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