News item | 29-04-2022 | 14:51
The Netherlands is sending a forensic investigation team to Ukraine. That has been decided by the Council of Ministers. The team mainly consists of personnel from the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, supplemented by experts from other Defense units and from the Netherlands Forensic Institute. They will collect evidence that can be used for investigations into war crimes and in criminal proceedings.
Ukraine has asked the International Criminal Court and the EU Member States for support in the investigation into war crimes committed in Ukraine. The cabinet has decided to deploy Dutch expertise in the field of forensic investigation and evidence gathering and to send a forensic investigation team to Ukraine. The deployment of the team is a joint effort by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Justice and Security. The team will operate under the flag of the International Criminal Court.
In an international context, the Netherlands is already involved in various ways in combating impunity and in investigating war crimes in Ukraine. For example, the Netherlands supports the International Criminal Court with personnel capacity and a financial contribution, the Netherlands has made efforts to establish a UN fact-finding mission with a focus on evidence gathering and the field office of the UN Human Rights Office is financially supported to continue monitoring human rights violations. .
The forensic investigation team will start at the beginning of May and will in principle be deployed for a period of two weeks. The work of the team takes place at various locations in the vicinity of Kiev. In addition to forensic investigators, the team of about 30 people consists of detectives from the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, explosives disposal experts, medical personnel, an interpreter and a team from the Special Security Assignments Brigade.