ICC to probe Russia, Georgia

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court will investigate Georgian and Russian forces over possible war crimes committed during a 2008 conflict.

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Amsterdam - The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Tuesday she intended to investigate Georgian and Russian forces over possible war crimes committed during a 2008 conflict over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.

In a statement, Fatou Bensouda said she had evidence suggesting South Ossetia's “de facto authorities” had killed up to 113 ethnic Georgian civilians as part of a forcible displacement campaign, “with the possible participation of members of the Russian armed forces”.

Bensouda said there was also evidence that Georgian forces had attacked Russian peacekeepers, which would be a war crime too. Georgia's lack of progress in investigating these allegations had prompted her to request permission from judges to launch an investigation, she added.

Reuters