RIA Novosti: International Criminal Court to Examine Ukraine Riots

MOSCOW, April 25 (RIA Novosti) – The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague will begin a preliminary examination of the deadly anti-government riots in Ukraine that began in November, the ICC said in a statement Friday.

“The Prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, has decided to open a preliminary examination into the situation in Ukraine in order to establish whether the Rome Statute criteria for opening an investigation are met,” the document reads.

After a preliminary examination of the situation, the ICC Prosecutor will decide whether or not to forward the information to judges to open a full-fledged investigation.

The court will look into the events in Ukraine for the period of November 21, 2013, to February 22, 2014.

Mass opposition protests erupted across the country in late November after President Viktor Yanukovych rejected an association agreement and trade pact with the EU, opting instead for closer ties with Russia.

Though the demonstrations began peacefully, clashes between protesters and police erupted in January and peaked on February 18, when dozens of people were killed.

The Ukrainian parliament impeached Yanukovych on February 22 and called for an early presidential election in May. Russia has called the move an illegal coup. Three days later, Ukraine’s parliament approved a resolution to have Yanukovych tried at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.