Nine countries, including Greece, have rejected the Russian Federation’s assertion that the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) ceased to exist on July 1, arguing that it continues to operate under its Statute and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

In a joint letter dated July 28 addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the President of the UN Security Council, the Permanent Representatives of Bahrain, Colombia, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Panama, the United Kingdom, and the United States referred to Russia’s letters of July 2 and July 21, in which Moscow claimed that the Mechanism ceased to exist on July 1.

“The analysis contained in those letters and their conclusions are incorrect,” the nine countries stated.

They cited paragraph 17 of UN Security Council Resolution 1966 (2010), which, they noted, clearly provides that the Mechanism continues to operate for two-year periods following each review of its work by the Security Council, “unless the Council decides otherwise.”

According to the letter, the Security Council and its members had spent months discussing the Mechanism’s progress, and a review was conducted based on the required documentation and in accordance with the Council’s established practice.

“The absence of a consensual outcome to that review does not negate the fact that the review took place,” the letter states.

The nine countries further stressed that, while it was regrettable that the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution, such a resolution is not a prerequisite for the Mechanism’s continued operation under Resolution 1966 (2010).

“The Security Council did not take a positive decision to close the Mechanism, and therefore it continues to operate in accordance with its Statute and the applicable Security Council resolutions,” they emphasized.

The letter also notes that this interpretation is shared by the UN Secretariat, as clarified in the Secretary-General’s letter to the President of the Security Council dated July 1, 2026.

In that same letter, the Secretary-General informed the Council of the reappointment of the Mechanism’s judges and the reappointment of Judge Graciela Gatti Santana as President of the Mechanism.

The nine countries also underlined that the Security Council has an important responsibility to take the necessary decisions within the year to achieve significant cost savings and advance institutional reforms.

Among the issues requiring action are the closure of the Mechanism’s two major facilities, the transfer of its archives, and the relocation or termination of several remaining functions.

“We remain ready to engage in consultations to achieve meaningful and responsible reforms, without undermining the important legacy of international criminal justice represented by the Mechanism and its predecessor institutions,” the letter concludes.

The joint letter has been circulated as a UN Security Council document under reference S/2026/629.