For the leading Dutch daily De Volkskrant, I wrote an op-ed on the need to conduct war crimes investigations in Ukraine now – even when the prosecution of perpetrators seems unlikely.
I explain that time is the power of international law. Evidence which is gathered today can be used in the future when the political circumstances have changed.
Other cases in the past showed that arrest warrants often last longer than those in power are able to evade them. Power relations and political dynamics can change quickly which can open doors to prosecute perpetrators often many years after the crimes were committed.
Therefore, war crimes investigations in Ukraine make sense.
Read the article in De Volkskrant of 7 April 2022: ‘Vergaren van bewijs voor oorlogsmisdaden in Oekraïne heeft wel degelijk zin’