Chancellor of the Government at the United Nations: if the masterminds behind Russia’s crimes in Ukraine escape justice, no one will be safe from future wars and violence
The Chancellor of the Government, Giedrė Balčytytė, attended an informal meeting of the United Nations Security Council, where she delivered a speech on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Rome Statute. In her speech at this Arria-formula meeting, the Chancellor highlighted the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in preserving peace and stability in the world through its contribution to delivering justice in cases of serious international crimes.
The International Criminal Court, established by the Rome Statute, assists in deterring potential aggressors anywhere in the world by preventing impunity for serious international crimes, emphasized the Chancellor. The collective efforts of the international community to ensure accountability for the perpetrators of Russia’s crime of aggression and war crimes in Ukraine are therefore of paramount importance.
“If we allow the masterminds and perpetrators of these crimes to escape justice, then we may well wake up in a very different world of a permanent cycle of wars and violence, where no continent would be immune to such danger. As the international community, we can and must choose a different path – we must not only speak the truth out loud, because silence always favours the aggressor, but also act and help enable the International Criminal Court to deliver justice,” said the Chancellor of the Government.
Lithuania was the first state to refer the situation in Ukraine to the ICC, added the Chancellor.
Together with Ukraine and other like-minded countries, Lithuania advocates for setting up the Special International Tribunal for the Punishment of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. The crime of aggression against Ukraine enables all other subsequent crimes committed by Russia in the invaded country, making accountability for it essential for sustainable peace and stability in the world.
Russia is using energy, disinformation, food, hunger, and even water as weapons and blackmail tools in Ukraine, destroying civilian infrastructure and causing deliberate humanitarian and ecological disasters,” added Ms. Balčytytė
The international community has a duty to preserve a rules-based world where war criminals do not have the privilege of feeling unpunished, the Chancellor of the Government added.