Putin: Arrest warrant issued for Vladimir Putin: What it means, FAQ and what happens next – Times of India
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said so Putin was now subject to arrest If any of the more than 120 member states of the court set foot on it.
Russia is not a party to the ICC, so it was not clear if or how Putin could end up in the dock. India is also not a member of the International Criminal Court. Putin is expected to travel to New Delhi at the end of the year to attend the G20 global summit.
The Hague-based ICC said it had issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, on similar charges.
Meanwhile, war-torn Ukraine welcomed the ICC’s announcement, and President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the “historic decision”.
Here’s everything you need to know about the condition:
What is the International Criminal Court?
The International Criminal Court was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression when member states are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.
The court is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and leads high-profile investigations into high-profile suspects.
It can prosecute crimes committed by nationals of member states or on the territory of member states by other actors. It includes 123 member states.
What crimes is Putin accused of?
Both Putin and Lvova Belova are charged with responsibility for the war crime of illegal deportation of persons, in particular children, and their illegal transfer from occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
Citing a report by the UN Commission of Inquiry, the BBC said in a report that some of these children were forced to obtain Russian citizenship and placed in foster families, which led to their “permanent stay” in Russia.
If further said the transfers were meant to be temporary but both parents and children face “a host of obstacles in establishing contact”. UN investigators said 16,221 children were forcibly transferred to Russia.
The ICC said it saw reasonable grounds to believe that Putin bears “individual responsibility for the crimes either committed directly or in association with others and/or through others”.
It also said that Putin failed to exercise appropriate control over his civilian and military subordinates who committed or allowed the actions to be committed and who were under his effective authority and control.
The arrest warrant obliges member states to arrest Putin or Lvova Belova if they are to travel home. But the ICC does not have its own police force or other means of carrying out arrests.
Can Putin be prosecuted?
The arrest warrants are in theory the first step towards a final trial – although, under current circumstances, the arrest and trial of the Russian president is almost out of the question.
The Russian president enjoys undisputed authority in his homeland, so there is no prospect of the Kremlin handing him over to the ICC. Even while in Russia, Putin does not face the risk of arrest.
Even if an arrest is made, previous ICC cases have shown that it is difficult to convict senior officials. In more than 20 years, the court has issued only five convictions for underlying crimes, none of them of a high-ranking official.
But the ICC’s investigations into international figures are not the only option. War crimes can also be prosecuted in Ukrainian courts, and a growing number of countries are conducting their own investigations.
There are also plans for a new court to try the Russian invasion as a crime of aggression. The ICC cannot impose such charges due to legal limitations.
What is Russia’s reaction?
Russia, which denies committing atrocities since invading Ukraine, has dismissed the ICC’s move as “null and void”.
“The ICC’s decisions are meaningless for our country, including from a legal point of view,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her Telegram channel.
“Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and has no obligations under it,” she wrote.
What is the position of the International Criminal Court?
ICC chief Pyotr Hofmansky said Russia’s failure to ratify the Rome Statute was “totally irrelevant”.
He said, “According to the law of the International Criminal Court, which includes 123 state parties, two-thirds of the entire international community, the court has jurisdiction over crimes committed in the territory of a state party or a country that has accepted its jurisdiction.” “Ukraine has accepted the ICC twice – in 2014 and then in 2015.”
Hofmansky said that 43 countries have referred “the situation in Ukraine to the court, which means that they have officially raised our jurisdiction.”
“The court has jurisdiction over crimes committed against any person on the territory of Ukraine from November 2013 onwards regardless of the nationality of the alleged perpetrators,” Hofmansky said.
What is Ukraine’s reaction to the notice?
Ukraine’s Attorney General Andriy Kostin praised the ICC’s announcement.
He said, “The world has received a signal that the Russian regime is criminal, and that its leadership and followers will be held accountable.” “This is a historic decision for Ukraine and the entire system of international law.”
What war crimes has Russia allegedly committed?
The UN panel of investigators said that besides rape and torture, Russians are also responsible for attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
It also highlights the sites of mass burials – in Bucha and Izyum (in Kharkiv) – accusing Russia of “more serious crimes against humanity”.
There are also allegations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia has committed 400 war crimes in the Kherson region alone.
(with input from agencies)
He watches The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin
