Aggressions such as that of the Russian Federation against Ukraine cannot be tolerated, hence the intention to organize the Special Tribunal for the crimes of aggression of Russia against Ukraine was welcomed by the majority of the member states of the Council of Europe. Its success will depend on the ability to build the necessary institutional infrastructure for the tribunal’s operation and to resist Russia’s attempts to undermine its credibility. This is stated by expert Igor Botan in the public debate “The Tribunal for Putin”: novelty and scale, justice and hope”, organized by the IPN Press Agency.
Igor Botan states that the announcement regarding the establishment of the tribunal was just the beginning of a complex process. According to him, currently, efforts are focused on the establishment of the necessary administrative and financial mechanisms for the functioning of the institution.
The expert stated that other mechanisms will also be necessary, including for ensuring the protection of prosecutors, judges, and other individuals involved in the court’s activities. He emphasized that Russia is already trying to compromise the credibility of this process through discrediting actions.
In his opinion, the success of the tribunal will depend on the perseverance of the states and institutions involved in the completion of this project. Igor Botan believes that developments on the battlefield show that Russia is facing difficulties and continues to try to justify its aggression, as it has done since the beginning of the war.
When asked about what the Moldovan society knows about the processes of establishing the Special Tribunal and to what extent this information influences public perception, the expert stated that the citizens of the Republic of Moldova are informed to a certain extent, but the level of knowledge remains insufficient.
According to Igor Botan, the information deficit can be reduced through sustained efforts of public information. At the same time, the citizens of the Republic of Moldova must understand that, after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, no European country can consider itself fully safe.
Igor Boțan mentioned that public opinion is also influenced by information coming from the Russian Federation, which promotes the idea of a new world order. In his view, the war against Ukraine demonstrates that this order is imposed by the use of military force, a fact that highlights the danger represented by Russian aggression and the need to condemn it to protect European security.
The expert emphasized that the member states of the Council of Europe have concluded that relations with the Russian Federation will not normalize immediately after the end of the war. In his opinion, a long-term process will follow, including from the perspective of the investigations that will be conducted by the future international tribunal.
The public debate “The Tribunal for Putin: novelty and magnitude, justice and hope” is the 350th edition of the cycle “Developing political culture in public debates”, which the IPN Press Agency carries out with the support of the German Hanns Seidel Foundation.
