Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL7106):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review their policy on genocide, further to Russia’s actions in Ukraine and the Prime Minister’s remarks during Prime Minister’s Questions on 2 March that President Putin’s actions amount to war crimes (HC Deb, col 1037). (HL7106)
Tabled on: 21 March 2022
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any determination as to whether genocide has occurred should be made by competent national or international court, after considering all of the available evidence, not non-judicial bodies. This includes international courts, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), and national criminal courts that meet international standards.
Russia’s use of indiscriminate force against innocent civilians amounts to war crimes which must be investigated and those responsible must be held to account. It is for the ICC Prosecutor to independently determine who should be prosecuted for war crimes committed in Ukraine, including those that ordered them, in accordance with his mandate under the Rome Statute.
Date and time of answer: 04 Apr 2022 at 16:37.
