“Without their decision to wage this war of aggression against Ukraine, the atrocities that flow from it, as well as the destruction, death and damage resulting from the war, including from lawful acts of war, would not have occurred,” the assembly said in a resolution on Thursday.
It added that such a tribunal, based in the Hague in the Netherlands, should be “endorsed and supported by as many states and international organisations as possible, and in particular by the UN General Assembly."
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe also said there was “mounting evidence” that Russian rhetoric justifying the war “reveals a genocidal intent” to destroy the Ukrainian national group, according to the pace.coe.int website.
The assembly added that some of the acts committed against Ukrainian civilians, including killings, forcible transfers and the “Russification” of Ukrainian children, could fall under the definition of genocide, according to the website.
The resolution, entitled “Legal and Human Rights Aspects of the Russian Federation’s Aggression Against Ukraine," was passed with 100 votes for and one abstention, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported.
Earlier this month, members of the European Parliament called for the establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute Russia’s political and military leaders and their allies for crimes committed in Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, pace.coe.int, ukrinform.net