The Minister of Justice, Pillar Wolfhas ratified Spain’s “resolute commitment” to the investigations carried out by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on war crimes committed in Ukraine. The minister, who is participating in the Conference of Ministers of Justice that is being held in London, has highlighted the Spanish collaboration “from the material point of view but also in the judicial field” with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which on Friday issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin by deportation to Russia of Ukrainian minors.
In 2022 Spain contributed to the ICC with 540,000 euros to invest in tools technologies, psychosocial support and specialized training in sexual crimes and gender violence and against children, while The Prosecutor’s Office has opened investigative proceedings to collect testimonies, which will be made available to the Court.
The minister, who recalled that “165,000 Ukrainian children and refugees have been sheltered” in Spain and military material has been delivered, has raised the need to have common action protocols, and define minimum guarantees for the collection of evidence, that allow them to be admitted and used in ongoing criminal proceedings both nationally and at the ICC.
DNA collection
The minister has placed special emphasis on the fact that it would be necessary to guarantee that the evidence obtained in Ukraine is transmitted quickly to the judicial authorities and ensure its traceability. To this end, it has shown its willingness to deliver to the Ukrainian authorities the kit for collecting DNA samples promoted by Justice, as well as the availability of a group of Spanish experts in forensic work and criminal investigation, to assess possible international war crimes. produced on Ukrainian territory.
Llop has also referred to the Royal Decree-law by which an exceptional system is articulated so that property, commercial and movable property registrars can qualify and publicize the registrable titles to prohibit Russian oligarchs dispose of property that they hold through front men or intermediaries. He has also referred to the modification of the Penal Code to aggravate the trafficking of persons fleeing armed conflict.
The Conference, organized by Great Britain and the Netherlands, was attended by, among others, the Justice Ministers of France, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, Latvia and Luxembourg.
bilateral meeting
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During the course of the day, Llop has met with the Luxembourgian counterpart, Sam Tamson. They addressed the Directive against trafficking in human beings promoted by the EU, the mechanisms to protect women victims of gender violence in the sphere of their partner and ex-partner, as well as different aspects in the field of sexual violence.
Llop outlined Spain’s main lines of action for the EU Presidency, which will take place in the second half of this year, and has invited Tamson to La Rioja in July, on the occasion of the start of the Presidency.