Russia-Ukraine War: Amal Clooney Pleads for Justice Against War Crimes as Ukraine Becomes a ‘Slaughterhouse’

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney urged countries at the United Nations on Wednesday to focus on international justice for war crimes in Ukraine, which she described as a "slaughterhouse" due to its current dire conditions caused by Russian attacks.

"Ukraine is today, a slaughterhouse. Right in the heart of Europe," Clooney told an informal U.N. Security Council meeting organized by France and Albania, as per a clip of her message in a report from The Guardian.

The discussion focused on how Russia will be held accountable for its conduct in Ukraine, where troops have been accused of killing civilians, snatching children, and sexually abusing women.

Clooney is a member of an international legal task team advising Ukraine to ensure Ukrainian victims' justice in national courts and collaborating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Clooney also slammed the UN for disregarding war crimes around the world, claiming that it encouraged Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Here we are, faced with the evidence of crimes of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and mounting evidence each day of the crime of genocide," Clooney said.

Calling UN To Take Action

The lawyer pointed out that "for too long," the world watched "perpetrators of mass human rights abuses," murdering, torturing, and raping without getting punished, according to a report from The Hill. Clooney cited Yemen and Myanmar as examples.

She claims that countries commit war crimes because they assume they'll get away with it.

Clooney believes that the international community must continue to rally behind Ukraine and demand accountability for atrocities so that the matter does not fade away like other wars like what happened in Syria.

The human rights advocate admitted that she is worried that "the resolute action" the world has witnessed in the first 50 days of the Russia-Ukraine war "will turn out to be the high point instead of the starting point of the legal and diplomatic response" from the world.

Clooney added that there is a possibility that the U.N.'s actions would "slowly fade into a predictable pattern."

Meanwhile, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan opened an investigation into Ukraine a week after Russia's February 24 invasion.

Khan said in the UN meeting that "this is a time" for the UN to "mobilize the law and send it into battle."

"Not on the side of Ukraine, against the Russian Federation, or on the side of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, but on the side of humanity," he underscored.

Russia Calls the ICC a "Political Instrument"

Sergey Leonidchenko, a Russian diplomat, branded the ICC as a "political instrument," accusing the United States and the UK of hypocrisy for backing the ICC investigation in Ukraine, having done "everything imaginable" to protect their military.

According to Reuters, the office of Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova is gearing up war crimes charges against at least seven Russian army personnel.

Moscow labels its invasion of Ukraine on February 24 a "special military operation" and insists it is not attacking civilians.

The United Nations has launched an investigation into Russia's invasion. While many of its members have supplied aid and weaponry to Ukraine, the UN has decided to denounce the war.

The United States has sent billions of dollars in aid and weapons while penalizing Russian oligarchs and others for their involvement in the conflict.

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Amal Clooney, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Uk, United Nations