DONETSK, July 7. /TASS/. Syria has tentatively agreed to take part in an international war crimes tribunal in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), DPR Foreign Minister Natalya Nikonorova said in an interview with TASS.
"There is a certain understanding of which countries could participate in the tribunal in some capacity. First of all, it is our brotherly Lugansk People’s Republic. Besides, officials from Russia’s corresponding agencies are already engaged in investigative activities in the republics. During our visit to Syria, we asked President Bashar al-Assad to consider the possibility of the Syrian Arab Repubic’s participation in the international tribunal and received a tentative consent," she emphasized.
The DPR top diplomat noted that one of the ministry’s priorities was to prepare the international tribunal’s charter. "It is based on the charter that all the proceedings will be held, including the conviction of those guilty. I would like to point out that the plan is to establish the tribunal under an international treaty," Nikonorova added.
The DPR authorities plan to conduct several interim tribunal trials of members of the Ukrainian armed forces involved in war crimes before the end of the summer. The Mariupol tribunal will be one of the first ones, it will also look into crimes committed in the city of Volnovakha. Members of nationalist battalions such as Azov and Aidar, as well as Ukrainian service members, are expected to be brought before the tribunal.