UK provides lawyers and police to support ICC war crimes investigation

London: The Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, has today (6 June 2022) unveiled a second package of support for the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

A specialist legal and police team will be offered to support the investigation on top of the £1 million funding provided earlier this year.

This will include a dedicated Metropolitan Police Officer stationed in the Hague providing the ICC with swift access to further British police and military expertise. Seven UK lawyers well experienced in international criminal law have been offered to help uncover evidence and prosecute those responsible for war crimes.

The UK has been at the forefront of the global response supporting the ICC, and Prosecutor Khan and Government ministers will meet to discuss how UK expertise can continue to help uncover evidence of war crimes in Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, said

The UK has responded swiftly to a request from the International Criminal Court for more police and lawyers to aid their investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Russian forces should know that they will be held to account for their actions and the global community will work together to ensure justice is served.

The Attorney General, Suella Braverman QC MP, said:

Following my appointment of war crimes expert Sir Howard Morrison as an Independent Adviser to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, I am determined that British expertise continues to be available to our friends in Ukraine in their search for justice.

We will stand side by side as they uncover the truth and hold those responsible in Putin’s regime to account for their actions.

The total package of support includes:

A police liaison officer based in The Hague to lead on swift information sharing between the UK and the ICC
Offer of seven legal experts to date to support the ICC investigation with expertise in international criminal law and the handling of evidence to be presented to court
Two police officers with expertise in collection of intelligence through publicly available data sources
Ongoing defence analysis and monitoring of events in Ukraine, including preservation of any evidence relating to war crimes
Delivery of bespoke war crimes investigation training to Ukrainian police on behalf of the ICC, in collaboration with the Norwegian Police
Officers from Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Unit will continue to provide forensic and technical capabilities, such as biometrics and examination of digital devices, as evidence is gathered from potential witnesses in the UK.

The UK Ministry of Justice is also accelerating conversations with City law firms and barristers to prepare for deployment at the appropriate stage of the investigation.

Earlier this month the Attorney General visited Ukraine and led a delegation of war crimes experts to the region to support the work of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova.