Opinion by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.): For Putin to face justice, we must join the International Criminal Court
It’s also important to remember that the ICC is a court of last resort. It doesn’t have jurisdiction over crimesthe country in question — like Russia — is unable or unwilling to prosecute the perpetrators domestically. Since we aren’t members of the ICC, we can’t engage directly in the efforts to prosecute criminals. Imagine how much we could accomplish if we helped legitimize the ICC.
Many will argue that there are parts of the criminal court that need to be reformed. I agree. Let’s work as a member state to improve it and make sure it lives up to the highest standards of impartiality. The United States once led the world on international justice. In response to the horrors of the Holocaust, we spearheaded the Nuremberg trials to hold Nazi war criminals accountable and for the first time establish international criminal law. We intentionally created an impartial judicial process, modeled on our own judiciary, rather than simply executing Nazi war criminals without trial.
If we believe Putin should be held accountable for violating international law, then we have to support international law. This week, I will be introducing a resolution to join the court, and I hope other members of Congress will join me in supporting it., as the U.S. says it expects ‘brutal tactics’ as Russian troops pivot to attack eastern Ukraine.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Thin-skinned Biden is the most dangerous man in the world'Murdoch has no nuclear weapons, missiles, nor a volunteer army of deplorables ready to applaud his every utterance, but his ownership of Fox News. . . makes him, according to Mr. Biden, the 'most dangerous man in the world.'' via WashTimesOpEd
Read more »
Opinion | Why the U.S. is suddenly down with the ICC.HayesBrown: The best place to indict Putin over the Russian destruction of Ukraine is an agency the U.S. has either ignored or undermined.
Read more »
Analysis | Putin’s war moves Finland and Sweden closer to joining NATOOne of the lasting legacies of the Russian invasion may be how the war led to NATO’s strengthening and expansion.
Read more »
Russia may have used chemical weapons in Mariupol: reportsTens of thousands of people have been killed in Mariupol, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed — as his chief prosecutor called Putin the “main war criminal of the 21st Century.”
Read more »
Democrats should let facts, not a criminal referral, make the case against TrumpThe House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, incursion into the U.S. Capitol should be wary about making an official “criminal referral” of former President Donald Trump to the Justice Department.
Read more »
Putin vows to press invasion of Ukraine until Russia's goals are metPutin insisted Tuesday the campaign was going as planned, despite a major withdrawal in the face of stiff Ukrainian opposition and significant losses.
Read more »