The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) approved the request submitted by the Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to conduct an investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity “committed in and around South Ossetia” that would cover period from July 1 to October 10, 2008 on January 27.

We in the Republic of South Ossetia are satisfied with this decision and express readiness to promote impartial and professional investigation, despite the fact that South Ossetian territory doesn’t fall within the scope of the Rome Statute.

We consider that without any doubt the case file of the investigation has to include the evidential base of the crimes committed during the armed aggression of Georgia against South Ossetia in August 2008 that is available in the Republic. Otherwise without this component hardly could the investigation conducted by the ICC be called unbiased.

Alongside with this some bewilderment is caused by the time frames limiting the investigation. We are convinced that without taking into consideration the background of notorious events of August 2008, the investigation is doomed to be bias in respect to the victims of numerous attempts made by Georgia to establish its jurisdiction over South Ossetia.