ICC begins investigations into war crimes in Ukraine
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, has launched an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine following the Russian invasion of the country.
Khan on Thursday called on individuals currently in the war zone to report possible crimes to the court located in The Hague.
The Prosecutor now intends to communicate with all parties involved in the conflict.
He also called on all parties to abide by the rules of international law.
Khan announced his decision to open investigations on Wednesday evening.
"No individual in the Ukrainian situation has a license to commit crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court," he said in a statement.
He added that the investigation began after referrals from 39 countries party to the International Criminal Court, including Germany, Britain and Georgia.
Prosecutors are currently looking into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on Ukrainian soil since November 2013.
This includes the bloody crackdown on pro-European demonstrations in 2013-2014, as well as the occupation of Crimea in 2014 and fighting in eastern Ukraine since then as well as possible crimes since Russia's invasion that began last week.
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