Punish Putin with Nuremberg-style war crimes tribunal, says Gordon Brown

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has called for the creation of a special tribunal to punish Vladimir Putin for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The former Labour leader is urging Western countries to set up the tribunal to prosecute the Russian president and his accomplices.

Live updates as nuclear plant seized by Russian troops

Speaking alongside Ukrainian foreign minister Dmyto Kuelba at a virtual event organised by the think-tank Chatham House, Mr Brown said a new international tribunal to expose and punish the crime of aggression is needed.

He added that it would be based on the actions of the nations which met in London during the Second World War to draft a resolution on Nazi war crimes, which led to the creation of the International Military Tribunals and the Nuremberg trials.

“Ukraine wants our full support to expose and punish the crime of aggression, and that can be done by setting up a special tribunal on the lines proposed in 1942,” the former PM said.

“President Putin has posed a fateful challenge to the post-1945 international order. He has sought to replace the rule of law with a misuse of force.

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“If we were to acquiesce in any way, none of us could ever take freedom or democracy for granted ever again.

“For all these reasons, and because of the scale of the suffering of the people of Ukraine, I believe that most people would agree that this act of aggression cannot go un-investigated, unprosecuted or unpunished.”

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Key developments:
• Putin insists Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is ‘going to plan’
• There has been fierce fighting between local forces and Russian troops on the outskirts of Energodar – with casualties reported
• Ukraine’s president says only ‘urgent action by Europe’ can stop the Russians
• Russian forces continue to claim control of the southern port city of Kherson

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Mr Brown’s proposal has been devised by senior international legal experts and seeks to address a gap in the international legal infrastructure.

The top lawyers want the UK and other countries to join Ukraine to grant jurisdiction to a dedicated criminal tribunal to investigate Russian aggressors and those complicit in the crime.

It comes after Russian troops carried out a shelling of a nuclear power station in south-eastern Ukraine overnight.

Deputy PM Dominic Raab described the attack as “an affront to the world stage at large”.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace accused Russia of “playing with fire”.

Meanwhile Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told broadcasters that those responsible for the “completely reckless act” must be “held to account”.

A fire broke out in the attack on the southeastern city of Energodar and its Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as the Ukraine invasion entered its second week.

Local politicians initially said that firefighters were unable to get close to the scene because they were being shot at – but a team of 40 people and 10 units have now extinguished the blaze which was at a training building.

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