Mendicino told CTV News Channel’s Power Play presenter Evan Solomon that the members are part of a highly “specialized” team tasked with holding Russia accountable for its illegal invasion of Ukraine.
“This will be a group of dedicated experts who understand how to gather evidence that could be part of a future prosecution that could be brought before the International Criminal Court… These individuals will be deployed as soon as possible,” he said on Tuesday.
Medicino made the announcement about Canada’s contribution to the ICC’s ongoing investigations, at the request of the ICC Prosecutor’s office, earlier in the day.
“In the face of Putin and the blatant violation of international law by the Russian military, Canada will continue to work to ensure that they are held accountable for their illegal actions,” the statement said.
“Canadian investigators will be assigned to teams working to end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community – including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The RCMP currently has three researchers developed in the ICC. The potential will increase to 10 with the announcement on Tuesday.
Listen to Mendicino’s interview at the top of this article.
