Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review their policy on genocide, further to Russia's actions in Ukraine and the Prime Minister's remarks during Prime Minister’s Questions on 2 March that President Putin's actions amount to war crimes (HC Deb, col 1037).

It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any determination as to whether genocide has occurred should be made by competent national or international court, after considering all of the available evidence, not non-judicial bodies. This includes international courts, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), and national criminal courts that meet international standards.

Russia's use of indiscriminate force against innocent civilians amounts to war crimes which must be investigated and those responsible must be held to account. It is for the ICC Prosecutor to independently determine who should be prosecuted for war crimes committed in Ukraine, including those that ordered them, in accordance with his mandate under the Rome Statute.