Hague court concludes investigation into 2008 war in Georgia

The Hague International Criminal Court's Prosecutor Karim Khan has announced the completion of the investigation stage of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the 2008 war in Georgia.

Karim Khan said that his office had been examining evidence related to likely crimes committed by all sides of the armed conflict since the start of the investigation into the situation in Georgia on January 27, 2016, according to RBC-Ukraine.

"I can confirm today that, apart from the cases before the International Court of Justice [ICJ], my office will not be pursuing new lines of inquiry into the likely criminal responsibility of others or other conduct within the situation in Georgia. Accordingly, in the absence of significant changes in the circumstances, the investigation phase of the situation in Georgia has been concluded. I have informed the Georgian authorities of this decision", the prosecutor explained.

He also added that the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Georgia is "far from over." Efforts will be directed towards "ensuring the successful prosecution of persons against whom an arrest warrant has been issued".

In his statement, Karim Khan recalled that the investigation revealed the likely role of Vyacheslav Borisov, a Major General of the Russian Armed Forces and Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces at the time of the events, who is believed to have intentionally contributed to some of the crimes and is now deceased.

"My office continues and will continue to direct its efforts towards bringing the addressees of the arrest warrants to justice", he said.