Secretary General at Conference of European Ministers of Justice in Vilnius

"More than two and a half years into the Russian Federation's brutal and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and with the ongoing violence and developments on the battlefield over this summer, the need for accountability burns more brightly than ever. We must be ready to extend the architecture of international justice", emphasised Secretary GeneralMarija Pejčinović Burić while addressing the Informal Conference of the Ministers of Justice of Council of Europe member states in Vilnius.

The conference, entitled "Towards Accountability for International Crimes Committed in Ukraine", was organised in the framework of the Presidency of Lithuania

of the Committee of Ministers. It provided an opportunity to address critical justice and accountability issues related to Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

"With the launch of the Register of Damage, which is now fully operational and the receipt of thousands of claims for damaged or destroyed homes, other requests will follow shortly. These claims are an essential first step towards the creation of an international compensation mechanism. And which the Council of Europe is ready to support in whatever way required, just as we are ready to support work on a Special Court for the crime of aggression against Ukraine", stated the Secretary General.

"The stories and images that continue to reach us from Ukraine are as shocking as they are heartbreaking. To ensure accountability, we need the law. And we need it applied at the national and international levels", concluded Marija Pejčinović Burić.

Speech by Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić