Russia: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has expressed concern over “threats” from Russia after the issuance of a war crimes arrest warrant for President Mr. Vladimir Putin.
Following a threat by former Russian President Mr. Dmitry Medvedev to launch hypersonic missiles against the war crimes court in the Hague, the ICC expressed its concern on 22nd March 2023. It also came after Russia’s top investigative body filed a criminal complaint against the judges who authorised Putin’s arrest order as well as ICC Prosecutor Mr. Karim Khan.
The presidency of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties stated that it “regrets these attempts to hinder international efforts to ensure accountability for acts that are prohibited under general international law.”
“The International Criminal Court embodies our collective commitment to fight impunity for the gravest international crimes. As an institution of last resort, the Court is complementary to national jurisdictions. We call on all States to respect its judicial and prosecutorial independence,” it added.
The issued ICC arrest warrant for Mr. Putin charges the Russian president with the wrongful deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children, a war crime. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Putin, accusing him of the unlawful deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children, a war crime.
Although Kyiv has granted the court jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed on its soil, neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the ICC. Also without a police force of its own, the tribunal depends on arrests being made by member states.
Moscow declared the directives “null and void,” and the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee claimed there was no basis for holding Putin criminally liable. In addition, it stated that a 1973 United Nations treaty granted heads of state total protection. The ICC prosecutor’s conduct in obtaining the warrants, according to the committee, appeared to constitute crimes under Russian law, including deliberately falsely charging an innocent person with a crime.
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