Vladimir Putin Declared 'War Criminal' By US Senate In Unanimous Vote
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially been declared a 'war criminal' in a unanimous vote from the US Senate.
Putin's 'special military operation' has now stretched into its 21st day. An estimated three million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the conflict amid thousands of civilian casualties, with shelling continuing to rock major cities across the country.
Coming after a maternity and children's hospital was bombed in Mariupol, Russian troops have now occupied a hospital in the city, where 500 people are being held hostage.
Led by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who was recently criticised for saying someone should 'take out' Putin, the Senate passed a unanimous resolution condemning the Russian president as a war criminal.
Prior to the vote, Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said: 'All of us in this chamber joined together, with Democrats and Republicans, to say that Vladimir Putin cannot escape accountability for the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people,' as per The Independent.
Very excited the U.S. Senate unanimously agreed to support the war crimes investigation being conducted against Putin & his inner circle at the Hague.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 16, 2022
America should do all we can to aid this investigation by providing information & intelligence to the court in a timely manner.
The resolution which not only condemns Putin, but Russia, the Russian security council and members of the Russian military committing war crimes in Ukraine, was also supported by US Representative Victoria Spartz, the only Ukrainian-American in Congress.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid also said Putin will be 'held responsible' for war crimes in Ukraine at the international criminal court in The Hague.
Health Secretary @sajidjavid tells @KayBurley that Russian attacks on hospitals in Ukraine "are war crimes", as a pregnant woman who was pictured after a maternity hospital was bombed has died along with her baby.https://t.co/X3flQUBL0r
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 14, 2022
📺 Sky 501, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/lX2ifZk6X6
Commenting on the pregnant woman who died after being stretchered out of the hospital in Mariupol, along with her baby, Javid said: 'It fills me with rage to see something like that. These are appalling atrocities committed on innocent civilians in Ukraine by the Russians.'
'These are war crimes and Putin will be held responsible... he will be ultimately held responsible for sure by the international court.
'Today, the justice secretary [Dominic Raab], my colleague, is going to The Hague and he’ll be meeting there with the chief prosecutor and others, offering UK support to gather evidence.'
Commanders on the ground or leaders in in the Kremlin who are committing war crimes will be held to account, and there is a very real chance they'll end up in the dock in The Hague, and ultimately behind bars.
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) March 15, 2022
Watch my statement on war crimes in #Ukraine. 🔽 pic.twitter.com/tFzBGREMdc
Speaking from The Hague, Raab said: 'Right now, there's a big emphasis on preservation of evidence of war crimes that may or may not have happened.
'But also what's coming down the line as Putin responds in ever more barbaric ways to the situation stuttering and stumbling that he's been driving on the ground in terms of his own military campaign.'
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information
Topics: News, Russia, Ukraine, World News, Vladimir Putin
