In Turkey, Kallas calls for protecting the ICC from pressure — Anadolu Agency
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking at an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in Turkey, called for the protection of the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying it is facing “immense pressure.” She stressed that pressure on the court and its judges raises questions about commitment to the international legal order established after World War II, Anadolu Agency reports.
The role of judicial mechanisms
Kallas said that accountability is a key component of compliance with international humanitarian law. According to her, existing justice mechanisms, including national courts, the International Court of Justice and the ICC, must be protected.
She noted that the ICC must ensure that victims of the gravest international crimes are not forgotten because accountability is politically inconvenient. Kallas also said that international law itself is not the main problem, as impunity breeds impunity.
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Evidence of possible war crimes
The EU foreign policy chief outlined three areas for strengthening accountability: protecting existing judicial mechanisms, creating new ones where existing mechanisms do not deliver results, and properly preparing court cases.
As examples of mechanisms for ensuring accountability, Kallas cited the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, the tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, as well as the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. She also mentioned EU-supported documentation of alleged war crimes in Syria and UN investigations into Afghanistan.
Speaking about Gaza, Kallas stressed the need to preserve evidence of possible war crimes amid the start of rubble-clearing work. According to her, accountability cannot be selective; otherwise, the entire system will be called into question.
