Philippe Sands to write book on special tribunal for Russia told through story of Victoria Amelina's killing

The French-British lawyer and writer Philippe Sands, winner of the 2026 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, is writing a book about the setting up of a special tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression, told through the story of the killing of Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina.

Source: Philippe Sands in an interview with the German publication Börsenblatt

Details: Sands said this will be his fourth book exploring the themes of international crimes, justice and the search for accountability, following his previous works, East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity, The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive and 38 Londres Street: On Pinochet in London and a Nazi in Patagonia.

Sands noted that he had not initially planned to extend the trilogy, but the fourth book is set to be released in 2030.

He said the book will focus on the creation of the special tribunal through the story of the killing of Victoria Amelina, whom he knew personally. Amelina died in 2023 following a Russian missile attack on a restaurant where she was eating pizza. At the heart of all Sands' works is the search for ways to prosecute international crimes. He said he has realised it is helpful to recount a great historical, political and legal drama through the prism of a personal story, as this makes it easier for people to understand the connections.

Details: In 2022, Philippe Sands and Victoria Amelina appeared together at the Lviv International BookForum, where they spoke about accountability and justice during wartime.

Sands is one of the initiators behind the creation of a special tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression against Ukraine. He said the new body is intended to plug a legal gap, as the International Criminal Court lacks the relevant jurisdiction. The search for effective ways to punish international crimes remains the central theme of all of Sands' works.

For reference: Victoria Amelina was a Ukrainian writer and public figure, a winner of the Joseph Conrad-Korzeniowski Literary Prize and nominee for the Angelus Central European Literature Award.

When the full-scale invasion began, Victoria paused her fiction writing and joined Truth Hounds, an organisation documenting human rights violations.

She also took part in charity trips with PEN Ukraine writers to recently liberated territories.

Victoria was injured in a Russian missile strike on a restaurant in Kramatorsk on 27 June 2023. At the time she was accompanying a delegation of Colombian writers and reporters on a trip to eastern Ukraine.

Despite doctors' efforts, Victoria died on 1 July 2023.

Philippe Sands is a lawyer and professor of international law at University College London. He also works at the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague as a human rights lawyer. Sands has been involved in international law cases concerning Augusto Pinochet and the Chagos Archipelago.

In addition to his legal and academic work, he writes narrative non-fiction.

Sands's father originated from what is now Lithuania and his mother was from Lviv. Sands himself was born in London.

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