June 21, 2022 | The Telegraph
Russia never faced punishment for its past crimes. This time must be different
Putin counts on the West’s negligence at holding his country to account. Until we do, atrocities will continue
June 21, 2022 | The Telegraph
Russia never faced punishment for its past crimes. This time must be different
Putin counts on the West’s negligence at holding his country to account. Until we do, atrocities will continue
Excerpt
Russia televised its war crime. This month, a self-proclaimed “court” in the Russian-occupied “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DNR) presided over three gaunt POWs in a cage. The two British prisoners, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, and a Moroccan, Brahim Saadoun, looked hungry and exhausted.
Their alleged crime: helping Ukraine “forcibly seize power” over that country’s own territory. Twenty-four hours later, all three men were sentenced to death. This expressly violated the laws of war, which prohibits show trials and the political execution of prisoners.
Vladimir Putin believes that Western leaders will ignore the rising mountain of evidence indicating his wide-spread Russian war crimes against POWs, counting on the West’s historical negligence in holding Russia responsible for such crimes.
Peter B. Doran is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Follow him on Twitter @PeterBDoran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.