:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/HSN6JE2BCJBSFLTXUJJQJBXFMQ.jpg)
Russian President Vladimir Putin will be “held responsible” for possible war crimes committed in Ukrainewarned the British deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab.
“It is clear both in the case of Putin and the commanders in Moscow, on the ground in Ukraine, that they will be held responsible for any violation of the laws of war”, Dominic Rabb, who is also Minister of Justice, told the British private channel Sky News. “We are not going to look the other way,” he assured.
SIGHT: LIVE | Russia bombs Kiev: missile destroys television tower and leaves channels without signal
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Karim Khan, announced on Monday the opening “as soon as possible” of an investigation into the situation in Ukraine. The prosecutor of this court created in 2002 to try the worst atrocities in the world said he was “convinced that there is a reasonable basis to believe that alleged crimes have been committed. war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine”.
Referring to Putinhis generals and the Russian military in Ukraine, Raab told the BBC that “There is a very real risk that they will end up in the dock in a court in The Hague.”
- The paradox of Russia in the United Nations: when the invader presides over the Security Council
- Maduro calls Putin to express his “strong support” amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia bombs Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, leaving at least 10 dead
He assured that if the ICC decides to act, “I am sure that the United Kingdom and its allies will want to provide practical and logistical support.”
NGOs Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine that have reached civilians.
LOOK: Possible war crime: videos show that Russia would have used cluster bombs against civilians in Ukraine
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday condemned the “barbaric air strikes carried out by Russia” against the civilian population in Ukraine, during a meeting with the president. Volodymyr Zelensky.
???????? A video published by the State Emergency Service of #Ukraine shows images played on a monitor of an air attack missile hitting the building of the State Administration of the Kharkov region on Tuesday morning. #UkraineRussia pic.twitter.com/HRqkxlgLnv
— Spanish euronews (@euronewses) March 1, 2022
What kinds of weapons are illegal to use in war?
According to Amnesty International, it is illegal to use weapons whose effect is “inherently indiscriminate, which cannot be directed against a specific military objective or whose effects cannot be limited as required by international humanitarian law”.
This is because their use makes it virtually unavoidable to harm or destroy people or civilian infrastructure (homes, hospitals, and schools).
cluster bombs
Bombs and cluster munitions can contain hundreds of submunitions that are released into the air and spread indiscriminately over an area of hundreds of square meters. They can be dropped or fired from aircraft or surface-to-surface missiles.
SIGHT: Ukraine denounces that Russia used thermobaric bombs, which cause high-temperature explosions
Cluster submunitions also have a high failure rate, which means that a high percentage do not explode on impact. These unexploded ordnance pose a threat to people years after the bomb was dropped.
The use, production, sale and transfer of cluster munitions are prohibited under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which has more than 100 state parties.
antipersonnel mines
Anti-personnel mines are explosive devices designed to detonate when someone approaches them. They are normally triggered by being stepped on or by a detonating wire. Landmines can remain in place for decades, meaning they can still maim, injure or kill people years after a conflict has ended.
Once activated, the blast can destroy multiple limbs, projecting debris that sprays victims with shards that can cause deep wounds.
SIGHT: Russia – Ukraine war: the huge Russian military convoy approaching Kiev with hundreds of tanks and artillery
It is impossible to know how many mines are buried in the world, because they remain undetected until the moment they explode. However, the magnitude of the problem can be measured by the number of landmines that have already been discovered and deactivated.
Since the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction was adopted in 1977, 53 million mines have been destroyed. While there is no doubt that this is a remarkable achievement, there is still work to be done. As of November 2018, 56 countries had identified areas that are at high risk of being contaminated with anti-personnel mines.
Nuclear weapons
Nuclear weapons are the most destructive, inhumane and indiscriminate weapons ever created, both because of the magnitude of the immediate devastation they cause and because of the threat of radioactive fallout that is extraordinarily persistent, widespread and with harmful genetic effects.
On July 7, 2017, the United Nations adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a treaty that prohibits nuclear weapons and opened the door to a new era of non-proliferation and the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Amnesty International supports the work of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) to help get states to become parties to this treaty and to monitor its implementation.
Chemical weapons
Chemical weapons are defined as chemicals that are used to intentionally cause harm or death as a result of their toxic properties. They include not only the toxic chemicals themselves, but also materials such as mortars, artillery shells, and bombs specially designed to inflict damage by launching those chemicals. These weapons are prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force in 1997.
killer robots
Killer robots, or autonomous weapons systems, are no longer the stuff of science fiction.
Some countries—such as China, Israel, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—are already developing weapons with increasing autonomy, making important life-and-death decisions for humans. These weapons systems raise a number of moral, legal, accountability and security issues.
Killer robots without human control would lack the human judgment necessary to apply the law when using force. They could make tragic mistakes and endanger civilian lives. Allowing a robot to have decision-making power over life and death also means crossing a basic moral line.
It is unclear who, if anyone, would be responsible for the illegitimate acts of killer robots: the programmer, the manufacturer, the person in charge, or the police officer. The use of fully autonomous weapons without significant human control could create an accountability vacuum if weapons are designed to make their own decisions about the use of force, as it would make the administration of justice more difficult, especially for victims.
_________________________________
- Ukraine compares bombing of Kiev to that of Nazi Germany in 1941
- Ukraine reports the death of 2,800 Russian soldiers on the second day of the invasion
- Why did Russia invade Ukraine and what are Putin’s arguments for war?
- A shocking audio reveals how Russian soldiers threaten and then kill 13 Ukrainian soldiers on an island
- These are the countries that support Russia and those that are with Ukraine
- NATO activates its defense troops for the first time in history to deter Russia
Source: Elcomercio
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/I3MLNUB7HRHBJFRGW6PCY3CEQY.jpg)
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/GIYTANJNGEZC2MJQKQYDAORSGE.jpg)
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/527CU7W57JGXBBFW2KP2OXLAYU.jpg)
