1.3 Million Sign Petition Calling For Vladimir Putin To Face Nuremberg-Style War Crime Trial
The petition launched earlier this month and is almost at its goal of 1,500,000 signatures.
A petition calling for Vladimir Putin to face a war crimes investigation similar to that of the Nuremberg trial has already been signed by more than one million people.
The 'Put Putin on trial' petition launched earlier this month after the Russian leader launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
After just a few weeks of being online, it's almost at its goal of 1,500,000 signatures.
The petition urges world leaders to hold Putin accountable for the 'illegal invasion' of Ukraine and to initiate a 'Nuremberg-style tribunal' to prosecute him.
The Nuremberg trials were held after the end of World War II to hold members of Nazi Germany to account for invading other countries and committing heinous crimes, including the Holocaust.
The petition reads: "As citizens from across the world, we urgently call on you to hold Putin and his accomplices personally accountable for their illegal invasion of Ukraine by creating a new Special Tribunal for the punishment of the crime of aggression.
"We also call on you to fully support the International Criminal Court's separate investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
"There will never be peace without such accountability - we are counting on you."
The petition also said that the pursuit of Putin's prosecution was not only to protect Ukraine but the rest of the world.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, also revealed his plans to create a Tribunal to bring Russian leaders and Putin to justice following their brutal attacks against Ukraine.
In a statement posted earlier this month, Minister Kuleba wrote: "On February 24th, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a new stage of aggression, a full-scale aggressive war against Ukraine. In his speeches before and during the invasion, the Russian President outlined his motives in detail.
"He publicly denied Ukraine and the people of Ukraine their right to exist, which points at the inhuman ideology in which the crime of aggression of the Russian Federation is rooted."
Kuleba finished the statement saying he is 'confident' that he and other global leaders will be able to successfully prosecute Putin and the Russian Federation over their 'unprovoked' violence against Ukraine.
Wayne Jordash QC, a British humanitarian lawyer working in Ukraine, told Sky News the possibility of Putin facing trial was likely as there is a 'growing list of crimes' allegedly being committed by the Russian military under his command.
He also added that the 'frustration' of Russian troops with invasion constantly halted by Ukraine citizens has led to an increasing number of war crimes as the war continues to escalate.
"We went from a conflict where the Russians were aiming at military targets to one where they are slowly not caring what they're hitting, or they are deliberately aiming at civilian infrastructure in order to scare and dominate the civilian population," he said.
"We're certainly talking about war crimes in every town and every city that has been attacked."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Ukraine, News, vladimir putin, Russia
Charisa Bossinakis