Bulgarian socialist MEPs skip vote for special tribunal to punish Russian crimes

None of the five Bulgarian socialist MEPs took part in a vote in European Parliament on Thursday (19 January) on a resolution demanding the Russian political and military leadership be held accountable for the crimes of aggression against Ukraine.

MEPs voted overwhelmingly to condemn the atrocities committed by Russian forces in Bucha, Irpin and other Ukrainian towns, which they say reveal the brutality of the war and underscore the importance of coordinated international action to bring those accountable to justice under international law.

“MEPs point out that it is no longer feasible for the Russian Federation under Putin’s leadership to return to business as usual with the west,” a statement from Parliament reads.

The resolution urges the EU, in close cooperation with Ukraine and the international community, to create a special international tribunal to prosecute Russia’s political and military leadership and its allies.

Establishing a tribunal would, MEPs argue, fill a vacuum in international criminal justice and complement the investigative efforts of the International Criminal Court, as it currently cannot investigate the crime of aggression when it comes to Ukraine.

While noting that the exact modalities and composition of the special tribunal remain to be determined, MEPs stress that it must have jurisdiction to investigate not only Vladimir Putin and the political and military leadership of Russia but also Aleksandr Lukashenko in Belarus.

They also emphasise that EU preparatory work on the special tribunal should begin immediately and focus on building the arrangements for the court in cooperation with Ukraine.

The text was adopted by 472 votes in favour, 19 against, with 33 abstentions. Bulgarian socialists MEPs, who previously had voted against a resolution recognising Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, did not participate in the vote.

The head of the delegation of Bulgarian socialist MEPs, Petar Vitanov, told EURACTIV he was in Sofia and was not aware. MEP Ivo Hristov told EURACTIV that in Vitanov’s absence, the other Bulgarian socialist MEPs decided to skip the vote.

The official position of the Bulgarian socialist party is that Bulgaria should not send any weapons to Ukraine and should stay “neutral” in the conflict.

Only one socialist MEP, Romania’s Maria Grapini, voted against the resolution. All others who voted against or abstained are from the far-right and far-right sectors.

Skipping a vote instead of voting against or abstaining, despite that the respective MEP is present, is not against the European Parliament rules, but many see it as an escape from responsibility.

Bulgarian socialist MEP Sergei Stanishev, in his previous capacity as leader of the Party of European Socialists, skipped votes to avoid taking a position when the views of the Bulgarian Socialist Party conflicted with the views of the S&D group.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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