Category: Press Releases

Thank you Madam President. I would like to start by thanking the Prosecutor Khan for his 24th Report and for briefing us today on the work of the Office.

I am pleased to note the Office of the Prosecutor has accelerated its investigative and cooperation activities under the renewed strategy outlined in the previous report. We welcome the tangible progress of the Office on the four key lines of inquiry: 2011 violence, crimes in detention centres, crimes in the 2014–2020 operations, and crimes against migrants.

The constant presence of the Office in the region throughout the reporting period has strengthened their ability to engage with witnesses and victims, thereby deepening their knowledge and understanding of the challenges to achieving accountability. We welcome the additional resources allocated to the Libya investigation team, in particular through experts and Arabic speakers.

The report also highlights the increased support received from the Libyan authorities, including from the Office of the President of the Presidential Council of Libya ahead of the Prosecutor’s visit to Tripoli at present. We encourage the Libyan authorities to build on this and to take the key steps outlined in the report to increase further cooperation. A collective approach and engagement between all relevant actors is needed to uphold the rights of those who still wait to receive justice.

We welcome the  formal membership of the Office of the Prosecutor into the Joint Investigation Team in relation to crimes against migrants with the authorities of Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK alongside Europol. Their assistance with the investigation of two key suspects of crimes against victims of human trafficking and smuggling led to their arrest and extradition, which is a significant step towards justice for those victims.

However, we note the difficult context in which these results were achieved: a complex political landscape with the ongoing executive impasse and division. These heighten the continued risk of violence. In this respect, the UK was pleased to see the appointment of the new Special Representative, Abdoulaye Bathily, and a substantial 12 month renewal of the UNSMIL mandate. UN leadership is vital to restoring Libya’s electoral footing, following the failed presidential elections of December 2021. The interim Government of National Unity is charged with making the necessary preparations for making free, fair, and inclusive elections, and it must fulfil its obligations to do so.

In conclusion Madam President, I underline that the UK remains committed to working with the Prosecutor’s Office and the Libyan authorities, and urge them to build on the momentum that we’ve heard of today and accelerate progress towards justice for the victims.

Thank you, Mr Chair. It is now over 250 days since we, along with the rest of the world, witnessed the start of President Putin’s unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack on Ukraine. Throughout this time, we have highlighted the truth in the face of Russia’s disinformation and propaganda.  In addition to the horrendous violence Russia has and continues inflict on the Ukrainian people, there has been an enormous cost to the people of Russia too.  Thousands of young Russian lives have been lost on land, at sea and in the air; fighting in an illegal war of choice based on contrived rationales, confused narratives and shifting goals. This is not conjecture, this is not opinion, it is fact.

The failures of Putin’s horrendous adventurism are becoming increasingly apparent to the Russian people.  They are becoming increasingly aware that their recently mobilised family members, neighbours and friends are being badly trained, badly equipped and then sent to the battlefield to reinforce poorly equipped, poorly led and demoralised professional soldiers.  It is perhaps no wonder then that so many Russians have chosen to flee their own country to avoid mobilisation.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Russian military leaders continue to commit more and more Russian troops to the war in an attempt to overcome their failures.  Due to low morale and a reluctance to fight, Russian forces have now reportedly started to deploy “barrier troops” or “block units”.  These units threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers in order to compel offensives.

Low morale, indiscipline and dysfunction continues to reach the highest levels of Russia’s military leadership too.  On 3 November, Major General Alexander Linkov was reportedly appointed acting commander of Russia’s Central Military District.  Linkov replaces Colonel General Alexander Lapin who was purportedly removed from office at the end of October.  If confirmed, this is just the latest in a series of dismissals of senior Russian military commanders since the onset of the invasion last February, including the Commanders of the Eastern, Southern, and Western Military Districts.  A pattern of blame against senior Russian military commanders for failures to achieve President Putin’s objectives on the battlefield.

It is worth noting that Colonel General Lapin had been widely criticised for poor performance on the battlefield in Ukraine by both Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin.  The latter appears to be gaining increasing influence in the Kremlin, with his private military company being increasingly relied upon to provide fundamental security tasks normally expected of the Russian State.

For example, on 6 November, Prigozhin announced the creation of centres for the training and management of “people’s militias” in Belgorod and Kursk oblasts in

Russia. These “people’s militias” probably function outside the Russian MOD’s structure and chain of command. Their stated intent is to establish units to help defend Russia’s borders.

Meanwhile, as Russia scrambles to fortify its defensive lines throughout eastern Ukraine, Prigozhin announced the construction of a fortified ‘Wagner Line’ of defences in Luhansk oblast. The construction represents a significant effort to prepare defences in depth behind the current Russian front line and protect a key logistics line of communication.

However, as we noted last week, Wagner’s recruitment of Russian convicts including individuals suffering from serious diseases and medical conditions, is a sign of desperation to recruit numbers not fighters.  According to the Ukrainian Centre for Researching and Combating Hybrid Threats, 500 Wagner recruited convicts had died fighting in Ukraine by mid-October. In total, the centre assesses 800-1000 Wagner recruits have likely died in Ukraine. Wagner numbers have been further depleted by substantial non-fatal casualties.

That Wagner, a private military company linked to human rights abuses, is being increasingly relied upon to conduct roles normally expected of a government’s security and military apparatus is itself a telling indicator of the parlous state of Putin’s war machine: more defeats; more Generals sacked; more demoralised troops; more discontent amongst the Russian population; and more critique from Russia’s elites.

Mr Chair, Putin and the Russian military leadership have consistently underestimated the will, determination and courage of the Ukrainian military and civilians to defend their homeland from a brutal and barbaric invader.  They continue to fail to understand that every horrendous attack strengthens the Ukrainian resolve and that of its friends, like the UK, who remain steadfast in our support – for however long it takes – to ensure that the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the independence of Ukraine is fully restored.  Thank you.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

The death of Mahsa Amini was a shocking reminder of the repression to which women and girls in Iran face. Ordinary Iranians are now bravely risking their lives to demand accountability from their government and to insist their rights are respected. Iran must now listen: its suppression and barbarism cannot continue.

It can be no surprise that so many Iranian people have had enough. 2022 has seen a sharp increase in the use of the death penalty, tightening restrictions on women, intensified persecution of the Baha’i and greater repression of freedom of expression and speech online.

The UK stands with the people of Iran as they demand fundamental freedoms. We condemn violence, including live ammunition usage. We urge Iran to respect the right to peaceful protest, to lift internet restrictions, and to release those unfairly detained. Iran’s leaders can – and must – choose another path.