International Criminal Court to investigate Georgia’s war crimes

After an unjustified hope of almost eight years, the International Criminal Court (ICC) authorized beginning the investigations of war crimes perpetrated during Georgia’s invasion of the self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia in 2008, an action that the Unrepresented United Nations Organisation (UUN) welcomes, although it acknowledges the delay in the decision.

According to dispatches from the international press, the document states: “Today, January 27, 2016, the Pre-trial Chamber I of the ICC has authorized the Prosecutor to begin the investigation of crimes under this institution’s competency, presumably committed in South Ossetia, Georgia between July 1 and October 10, 2008.” The information specifies that the Pre-trial Chamber I is composed of Judge Joyce Aluoch, Judge Cuno Tarfusser, and Judge Peter Kovacs.   

Shortly after the treacherous attack by Georgian troops on South Ossetia of August 8, 2008 the Secretary General of the Unrepresented United Nations, Giovanni Caporaso Gottlieb, renounced the action. A former autonomous region of Georgia, South Ossetia rebelled much earlier against the government headed by Mijail Saakashvili. At the end of that month of August, Moscow recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Georgia’s other former autonomous region, Abkhazia, territories that have proclaimed their secession from Georgia just shortly before the disintegration of the USSR in 1991. Russian troops immediately clashed with the Georgian invaders, and in just a little more than 60 forced them to retreat.

So, Georgia announced the withdrawal of its troops from South Ossetia on October 22, 2008, after the Russian army made them retreat, not before causing the death of thousands of Ossetian civilians, aside from millions of lost equipment, which was also condemned by Giovanni Caporaso, secretary General of the UUN.

With the presentation of crimes of an undeclared war against South Ossetia, before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Unrepresented United Nations Organisation trusts that justice will be made for this fact that brought mourning to thousands of Ossetian homes.