President Biden said that Vladimir Putin had committed war crimes, after news emerged of mass civilian murders in Bucha, Ukraine. Three stories from our archive explain what this means.
Vladimir Putin celebrated Russia’s annexation of Crimea on March 18, 2022, the eighth anniversary of the move.
Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images
None of the available methods for holding Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable are likely to actually punish him, and they may even make new atrocities more likely.
A pregnant woman is carried away from a shelled maternity hospital. She later died.
AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File
Vladimir Putin has a history of flattening cities in time of conflict. But alleged war crimes in Chechnya and Syria never resulted in charges, let alone prosecutions. Will Ukraine be any different?
Evacuees from Ukraine stand under a destroyed bridge as they flee the city of Irpin on March 7, 2022.
Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are using humanitarian corridors to leave the country. But these routes are often announced for political reasons and do not always offer safety
Vladimir Putin: is the Russian leader guilty of war crimes?
EPA-EFE/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin/Sputnik
The International Criminal Court is launching an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine. But significant hurdles remain, and it’s uncertain anyone will ever be brought to justice.
Russian people watch a televised address by Vladimir Putin, 24 February 2022.
EPA-EFE/SERGEI ILNITSKY
What’s the point of international law if Russia can still invade Ukraine? Where is the enforcement? Three experts explain why holding Russia to account is so difficult.
With the regime’s brutality on daily display, peaceful protests have largely been abandoned. Unless there’s a negotiated settlement, Myanmar looks headed for a long and bloody civil war.
With travel to Afghanistan is nearly impossible right now and difficult questions over the types of evidence that would be admissible in court, investigators have their work cut out for them.
Afghanistan: after the fighting ends, the killing and maiming continues.
EPA-EFE/Saood Rehman
The Taliban is responsible for atrocities dating back to the 1990s, but has never been held responsible. The international community can play a role in ending the impunity.
United Nations Security Council.
EPA-EFE/JOHN MINCHILLO / POOL
The value of the rule of law is to challenge and constrain power. In this sense, the legacy of Habré’s trial and conviction is mixed.
Consulting with the communities that have suffered the most harm from past acts of mass violence is a key part of a successful reparations process.
Steven Senne/AP
German’s commitment of €1.1bn for development projects in Namibia over 30 years is too cheap a price to pay for remorse.
A Palestinian boy inspects his destroyed house after it was shelled by Israeli aircraft, Gaza, May 18, 2021.
Ahmed Zakot/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Both sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict may be violating the international laws that govern armed conflict. A legal scholar explains these rules – and whether anyone enforces them.
Despite the International Criminal Court opening an investigation into potential war crimes dating back to 2014, legal accountability will likely remain elusive.