US Attorney General appoints Nazi hunter to investigate war crimes in Ukraine

Rosenbaum will work with other prosecutors from the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section to investigate alleged human rights violations by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Eli Rosenbaum (left) appearing on TV discussion program "After Dark" on July 10, 1987 ("Klaus Barbie"). (photo credit: OPEN MEDIA LTD./GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)/VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Eli Rosenbaum (left) appearing on TV discussion program "After Dark" on July 10, 1987 ("Klaus Barbie").
(photo credit: OPEN MEDIA LTD./GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)/VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday announced the establishment of a War Crimes Accountability Team to investigate alleged human rights abuses by Russian forces in Ukraine, led by Eli Rosenbaum, the former Director of the US Department of Justice's Office of Special Investigations (OSI), which oversaw the identification and deportation of Nazi war criminals, The Algemeiner reported.

Rosenbaum will work with other prosecutors from the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, including Christina Giffin, Courtney Urschel, Christian Levesque and Acting Section Chief Hope Olds, according to a DOJ statement.

“There is no hiding place for war criminals.”

US Attorney General Merrick Garland
 U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announces a civil lawsuit to sue Texas over its abortion law, during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 9, 2021. (credit: REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS)
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announces a civil lawsuit to sue Texas over its abortion law, during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 9, 2021. (credit: REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS)

“There is no hiding place for war criminals,” Garland said. “The US Justice Department will pursue every avenue of accountability for those who commit war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine. Working alongside our domestic and international partners, the Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to hold accountable every person complicit in the commission of war crimes, torture, and other grave violations during the unprovoked conflict in Ukraine.”

The Justice Department added that it will provide more personnel to assist in efforts to combat the evasion and subversion of sanctions against Russia.

The department said that it will provide Ukraine with a prosecutor for advice regarding combatting corruption, kleptocracy and money laundering, as well as two attorneys from the Office of International Affairs. One of these attorneys will be sent to a US embassy in Europe and the other will be sent to a US embassy in the Middle East to assist the DOJ's KleptoCapture Task Force.