The Dutch government remains committed to hosting a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes and acts of aggression against Ukraine but is still grappling with significant security and logistical challenges, caretaker Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told parliament this week.
“This reveals that the tribunal entails many risks with far-reaching consequences for, among other things, the detention system and the surveillance and security system,” Veldkamp wrote. “Housing this tribunal will place substantially more demands on the Netherlands than other international courts and tribunals located in the Netherlands.”
The main concerns include potential Russian cyberattacks and the already strained Dutch prison system. The country’s detention capacity is so limited that the government has recently begun releasing prisoners two weeks early to make room for new inmates. Hosting the tribunal would only heighten the pressure on national infrastructure.
In response, the caretaker Cabinet is considering a plan to combine prosecution, housing, and detention at a dedicated site. “Given the demands placed on the detention facility in particular, a long lead time must be anticipated for the realization of such a facility,” Veldkamp said.
