The legal body accuses the Russian president of “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Friday March 17 that it had issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war crime of “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children since the start of the Russian invasion. The ICC, which sits in The Hague, has also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, on similar charges.
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Russia is not a member of the ICC and experts say it is unlikely to hand over suspects. The court did not specify how it provided for the execution of the arrest warrants. “Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two individuals in connection with the situation in Ukraine: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova”presidential commissioner for children’s rights in Russia, the ICC said in a statement.
Vladimir Poutine “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of population (children) and illegal transfer of population (children) from the occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation”the court added. “The crimes were allegedly committed in occupied Ukrainian territory at least from February 24, 2022”the ICC continued, adding that there was “reasonable grounds to believe that Vladimir Putin is personally responsible for the above crimes”.
For Moscow, this arrest warrant has no legal value
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev compared this arrest warrant to toilet paper, the first reaction of a senior politician in Russia. “The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. No need to explain where this paper should be used”, he wrote on Twitter in English, ending his message with a toilet paper emoticon. According to the Kremlin, this arrest warrant has no legal value. “Russia, like a number of states, does not recognize the jurisdiction of this court, therefore, from the point of view of law, the decisions of this court are null and void”Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
For its part, kyiv welcomed the issuance of arrest warrants, which are not “only the beginning”, according to the head of the presidential administration Andriï Yermak on Telegram. It is a decision “historical” of the ICC, welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The United Kingdom also welcomed this procedure against Vladimir Putin. “We welcome the step taken by the independent ICC to hold those at the top of the Russian regime, including Vladimir Putin, to account”British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Twitter.