The Clooney Foundation for Justice has contacted federal prosecutors about alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine. The foundation of the US actor George Clooney sees war crimes in three complexes as proven by reports from victims or their families and by photos, videos and satellite images. A spokeswoman for Germany’s top prosecutor confirmed the submission of the cases on Thursday. She did not provide any further information.
Missile attack on Odessa and executions
The cases presented by the foundation concern a rocket attack on a tourist resort in the Odessa region in which 22 civilians are said to have been killed and 40 others seriously injured in the summer a year ago. In a second case, Russian ground troops are said to have tortured and executed four men in the then-occupied Kharkiv region between March and September 2022. A third process identifies commanders of Russian units who are said to have been involved in executions, torture, sexual violence and looting during the occupation in the Kiev region in March 2022.
The Clooney Foundation for Justice fights against human rights violations. The politically active Hollywood star founded the foundation with his wife, the lawyer Amal Clooney.
Universal legal principle makes investigations possible
According to the International Criminal Code, it is possible for the Federal Prosecutor General to investigate certain crimes that were not committed in Germany. The background is the so-called universal legal principle: war criminals should not find safe refuge anywhere in the world.
Karslruhe examines Hostomel process
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office had already initiated so-called structural investigations into possible war crimes in the Ukraine war in March 2022. The aim is to initially secure as much evidence as possible without specific suspects. In mid-July, she initiated the first personal investigation: The Karlsruhe authorities are investigating a possible war crime in the Kiev suburb of Hostomel. Civilians there – including a person with German citizenship – are said to have been shot at and injured by Russian forces.
