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International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said Friday he was increasingly concerned by developments in Ukraine after Russia launched a full-scale attack.
“I have been closely following recent developments in and around Ukraine with increasing concern,” Khan said in a statement.
“It is imperative that all parties to the conflict respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
He warned both sides that the ICC could “exercise its jurisdiction over and investigate any act of genocide, crime against humanity or war crime committed within the territory of Ukraine since 20 February 2014”.
Khan said anyone “ordering, inciting or contributing in another manner to the commission” of such crimes could be prosecuted by the court based in The Hague.
He said the ICC had received many queries “with respect to the crime of aggression” but could not exercise “jurisdiction over this alleged crime in this situation” as neither Russia nor Ukraine were signatories to ICC’s founding Rome Statute.