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Switzerland investigates war crimes in Ukraine

Man holding baby
A man holds a baby during an evacuation from a maternity hospital damaged by a shelling attack in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 9. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

The Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) is investigating war crimes in Ukraine. The aim is to gather evidence in order to be able to respond quickly to any subsequent criminal proceedings or requests for mutual legal assistance, namely from the International Criminal Court (ICC) or from states.

Fedpol said on Sunday that, in cooperation with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), it had developed a procedure to collect information from Ukrainian refugees about possible war crimes. It thus confirmed a report by the SonntagsBlick newspaper.

According to Fedpol, the initial collection of information from Ukrainian refugees is being carried out via a web portal on its website as the first contact between law enforcement authorities and potential victims and witnesses of alleged war crimes.

Fedpol said it was analysing the information received and was following up on various leads. Several interrogations have already taken place in this context, it added.

It said it had also identified several potential witnesses in Switzerland and was reviewing the available information. It did not provide any information on the content of these interrogations or on the initial results.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR