In June, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland visited Ukraine to discuss U.S. involvement in the investigation and prosecution of Russian war crimes against American citizens.
He also discussed the importance of American solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
"In an unannounced trip, Attorney General Merrick Garland visits Ukraine, reaffirms U.S. commitment to help identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved in war crimes and atrocities,” Department of Justice (DOJ) Director of Public Affairs, Anthony Coley, said in a tweet June 21.
In a recent meeting with Iryna Venediktova, Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Garland announced the formation of the War Crimes Accountability Team, which will “centralize and strengthen” DOJ efforts to punish war crimes committed in Ukraine, according to a DOJ press release.
"The United States stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the face of Russia’s continued aggression and assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," Garland said in the release. "America – and the world – has seen the many horrific images and read the heart-wrenching accounts of brutality and death that have resulted from Russia’s unjust invasion of Ukraine."
“This initiative will bring together the department’s leading experts in investigations involving human rights abuses and war crimes and other atrocities; and provide wide-ranging technical assistance, including operational assistance and advice regarding criminal prosecutions, evidence collection, forensics, and relevant legal analysis,” the release stated.
The DOJ’s War Crimes Accountability Team will investigate and prosecute war crimes in Ukraine that are specifically under U.S. jurisdiction — such as the recent killing of an American journalist, as well as a Fox News cameraman and producer, CBS News reported. The team will be led by Eli Rosenbaum, former director of the Office Of Special Investigations and former Nazi war crime prosecutor.
"The United States is sending an unmistakable message, Garland told CBS news. “There is no place to hide. We and our partners will pursue every avenue available to make sure that those who are responsible for these atrocities are held accountable."
