European Union Calls For War Crimes Tribunal Over Mass Graves In Ukraine

The EU presidency on Saturday called for the establishment of an international tribunal for war crimes after new mass graves were found in Ukraine.

"In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent," said Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic, which holds the European Union's rotating presidency.

"We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals," he added in a message on Twitter.

"I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression."

The appeal follows the discovery by Ukrainian authorities of around 450 graves outside the formerly Russian-occupied city of Izyum, with most of the exhumed bodies showing signs of torture.

"Among the bodies that were exhumed today, 99 percent showed signs of violent death," Oleg Synegubov, head of Kharkiv regional administration, said on social media.

"There are several bodies with their hands tied behind their backs, and one person is buried with a rope around his neck," he added.

An AFP journalist at the site saw at least one body with its hand tied with cord.