The British judge who sentenced Radovan Karadzic to life for war crimes is to advise Ukraine and the Government on bringing Vladimir Putin and his lieutenants to justice.
Writing in The Telegraph, below, Suella Braverman, the Attorney General, announced that she will appoint Sir Howard Morrison to help bring war crimes prosecutions both in Ukraine and in the International Criminal Court.
Sir Howard was the UK’s judge at the ICC for a decade and presided over the trial of the Serbian leader that resulted in his life sentence, which he is currently serving in a British prison, believed to be HMP Isle of Wight.
Ms Braverman said that the move showed Britain’s commitment to bring Putin and his soldiers to justice that could see them ultimately held in a British jail.
She said: “It might seem unthinkable that Russian war criminals could also one day be in the dock. I have no doubt that it was unimaginable to Karadzic and his supporters too. And yet today he is behind bars, serving his sentence in a British prison.”
Ms Braverman said that his “seemingly unattainable” prosecution was down to “dedicated and expert” lawyers such as Sir Howard.
Scotland Yard officers to help investigation
The UK has also offered £1 million to support the International Criminal Court and will provide investigators from Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit and military intelligence.
“The UK is committed to showing that the atrocities we see being committed day after day in Ukraine will not be forgotten or forgiven,” Ms Braverman said.
“Whether you are a Russian soldier following unlawful orders or someone giving those orders, you will not be safe from prosecution. With all the power of our alliances and friends across the globe, the UK will do everything it can to bring you to justice.”
She hoped that the appointment of Sir Howard would serve as “a reminder to Russian soldiers and government officials, especially those who are questioning their role in this illegal war, that their actions will have consequences, and that international justice has a long and powerful reach”.
Sir Howard was elected as one of the six International Criminal Court judges in Dec 2011, serving until March 2021. He is regarded as one of the UK’s most senior and experienced international criminal lawyers.
Vladimir Putin has nowhere to hide from the long arm of international justice
By Suella Braverman, the Attorney General
One of the tragic ironies of the Russian invasion is that Ukraine is one of the birthplaces of modern international criminal law.
Sir Hersch Lauterpacht QC, among the most influential international lawyers of the 20th century, was born in a town just north of Lviv. The University of Cambridge’s world-renowned Centre for International Law is named after him. Raphael Lemkin, the Polish international criminal lawyer who introduced the term “genocide” after the Second World War, also studied in Lviv.
The determination of these two brilliant scholars to doggedly pursue the path of international justice is well documented. They laid the foundations of modern international criminal law and helped pave the way for some of the worst war criminals of the 20th century to be brought to justice.
For the ordinary men, women and children who find themselves in the path of such crimes, justice can seem like a long and impossible road. Justice for international crimes follows a difficult path and must overcome many obstacles. But for the sake of the victims, it is a journey we must follow.
War crimes will not be tolerated
Accountability for the perpetrators sends the strongest message that we are a global community, that we will not tolerate such crimes, and that we stand with those whose lives have been taken or turned upside down by atrocities.
Take Radovan Karadzic, for example. Indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 1995 for the part he played in the Srebrenica massacre, in hiding until his capture in Belgrade in 2008, and sentenced to life in prison in 2019.
Today, it might seem unthinkable that Russian war criminals could also one day be in the dock. I have no doubt that it was unimaginable to Karadzic and his supporters too. And yet today he is behind bars, serving his sentence in a British prison.
These seemingly unattainable cases fall to dedicated and expert international criminal lawyers. Karadzic found himself in front of Sir Howard Morrison QC, one of the UK’s most senior and experienced international criminal lawyers and judges, who has recently finished his term as the UK’s judge at the International Criminal Court.
A formidable alliance
Against this background, I am delighted that Sir Howard has agreed to act as my independent adviser to Iryna Venediktova, the Ukrainian prosecutor general. He will work closely with the indomitable Ms Venediktova, providing independent advice on domestic prosecutions for international crimes committed in Ukraine, as well as co-ordination with other jurisdictions and the International Criminal Court.
The UK is at the forefront of international support to the International Criminal Court, led by the Deputy Prime Minister, who has galvanised support with like-minded states in The Hague last week.
The UK is committed to showing that the atrocities we see being committed day after day in Ukraine will not be forgotten or forgiven. Whether you are a Russian soldier following unlawful orders or someone giving those orders, you will not be safe from prosecution. With all the power of our alliances and friends across the globe, the UK will do everything it can to bring you to justice.
I hope that this appointment serves as a reminder to Russian soldiers and government officials, especially those who are questioning their role in this illegal war, that their actions will have consequences, and that international justice, born in Lviv all those years ago, has a long and powerful reach.
