Lawyer Saniya Toktagazieva, journalists, media experts and activists intend to seek an international investigation into the fact of the military aggression of the Republic of Tajikistan against the civilian population of Kyrgyzstan. They applied to the International Criminal Court (The Hague Court).
«Using the right regulated by Article 15 of the Rome Statute, on behalf of the victims and civil society, I sent a communication (appeal) to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court with a request to initiate an investigation in accordance with Article 53 of the Rome Statute in relation to military personnel and commanders-in-chief of Tajikistan on the fact of committing war crimes against the civilian population of the Kyrgyz Republic,» Saniya Toktogazieva said.
The International Criminal Court, whose jurisdiction is carefully articulated in the Rome Statute, is the first permanent international court established on a contractual basis to help end impunity for the many serious crimes committed in the 21st century. The International Criminal Court is an independent international body in relation to the United Nations. The court is located in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Rome Statute is the document governing the work of the International Criminal Court. Countries that have signed and ratified the Rome Statute are considered full parties to the International Criminal Court.
The international treaty establishing the International Criminal Court was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome on July 17, 1998 and entered into force on July 1, 2002.
The conflict on the border took place on April 28 in the area of Golovnoy water distribution point. After that, it developed into the use of army units and heavy equipment. A number of border villages in Batken region were attacked. The parties finally agreed on the armistice and withdrawal of troops only on the evening of May 1.
In total, 190 Kyrgyzstanis suffered in the border conflict, 36 people were killed, including children. More than 40,000 people have been evacuated from the conflict zone. The Tajik side unofficially reported more than 150 wounded and about 16 dead.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan, 120 houses and 84 social facilities have been destroyed, including a school, a village first-aid station, a kindergarten, a police station, four checkpoints, a medical center, a dental center, two pharmacies, a fire station, 27 gas filling stations, 34 shopping facilities, five canteens and three events halls.
The Prosecutor General’s Office began pre-trial proceedings under the article «Crime against Peace» of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic and assessed the actions of Tajikistan as a military invasion.
