Rome Statute to help Armenia involve international prosecutors to probe war crimes

 13:23, 8 January 2024

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Numerous legal acts must either be adopted or laws must be amended following the ratification of the Rome Statute, Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan has said.

“We’ve studied the experience of various countries, particularly Georgia has a similar legislation, an entirely separate law. But we’ve also studied the experience of four-five leading countries. And the first step is the development of new legislation and work with international experts,” Minasyan said at a press conference.

Asked on the methods of applying the Rome Statute to hold Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes, the minister said: ‘The process is as follows. There are prosecutorial and investigative instruments and our investigators, by studying the crimes, gathering the information, also have the opportunity to involve international prosecutors and law enforcement officials, who, upon arriving in Armenia and studying the paperwork, become part of those proceedings. In this case, Armenia is not alone in the investigative processes of the war crimes and involves international bodies conducting proceedings.”