VP Harris Says Russia Is Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity in Ukraine, But U.S. Limits Power of International Law

At the Munich Security Conference, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the United States has formally determined Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Her remarks come amid a “massive justice mobilization” in Ukraine, where investigators are documenting abuses and seeking to prosecute Russian soldiers and leaders, says Reed Brody, a veteran war crimes prosecutor and former counsel for Human Rights Watch. Brody notes that for international law to have force, it must apply to powerful countries including the United States. “You can’t have it both ways. The tools of international justice should not only be aimed at enemies and outcasts,” says Brody.