State support key for Ukraine War Tribunal to move forward, says Council of Europe chief

Published on 29/09/2025 - 14:36 GMT+2

The Council of Europe (CoE) is "ready to make the tribunal for Ukraine", but present subordinate states indispensable marque it a reality, the institution’s Secretary-General, Alain Berset, told Euronews successful an interview.

"We had a beardown committedness addressing the necessity to make this tribunal. We are acceptable to person an precocious squad to marque it real. What we request present is truly a wide enactment and committedness from states," Berset said successful New York connected the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The Special Tribunal for Ukraine is simply a caller planetary judicial assemblage established by pact betwixt Ukraine and the CoE successful June, intended to prosecute the transgression of aggression committed against Ukraine.

Its main intent is to capable a ineligible gap: the International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction implicit warfare crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, but it presently cannot prosecute the transgression of aggression successful the lawsuit of Russian aggression against Ukraine nether its existing mandates.

"Some countries request to marque a determination connected their side, specified arsenic besides ratifying it successful nationalist parliaments, it could instrumentality time," helium explained.

The CoE is an planetary organisation based successful Strasbourg, established aft the Second World War to beforehand democracy, quality rights, and the regularisation of instrumentality crossed Europe.

It is not portion of the European Union and is composed of 46 subordinate states. Through its European Court of Human Rights, individuals tin bring cases wherever they see they person suffered a breach of their rights.

Challenging courts

"It is wide that courts are challenged, and it is not a bully situation, due to the fact that we request to person order, which means respecting what the courts are doing and respecting the independency of the judiciary. It is truly important not to destabilise the system," Berset added.

In caller months, some Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and US President Donald Trump person publically challenged the authorization of the International Criminal Court (ICC) concerning apprehension warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In this context, Berset said the CoE it trying to grow its relation wrong the instauration supporting the multilateral system: the United Nations.

"We privation to present wrong the discourse of the UN to present wherever others fail," helium said.

The CoE tribunal was besides precocious challenged by immoderate subordinate states.

In May, 9 Council of Europe subordinate states sent an unfastened missive to the European Court of Human Rights, criticizing its migration rulings.

They argued that the Court’s mentation of quality rights instrumentality limits nationalist governments’ quality to expel overseas nationals convicted of superior crimes and negociate migration effectively.

"Migration successful Europe is simply a precise important discussion, nary occupation with this, but the treatment should not hap connected the lawsuit instrumentality of the court. It should hap astatine the governmental level," Berset concluded.