The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of being responsible for war crimes in Ukraine, which was attacked by Moscow last February. The charges also include the unlawful deportation of children for which the court issued an arrest warrant against Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, commissioner for children’s rights in the office of the Russian president. The Kremlin denied the allegations and said the arrest warrant was legally “void” because Moscow does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
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The United Nations, meanwhile, believes there is enough evidence to charge Mr Putin with war crimes in Ukraine.
The ICC says the crimes were committed in Ukraine from February 24, 2022.
What are the allegations against Mr. Putin?
According to ICC Statementthe Russian president “would be responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of children and illegal transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia”.
If he further stated that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Mr. Putin “committed the acts directly, jointly with others and did not “exercise appropriate control over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts”.
Citing a report of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, the Bbc said in a report that some of these children were forced to take Russian citizenship and placed in foster families, thanks to which they ended up “permanently staying” in Russia.
Si added that the transfers were meant to be temporary, but that parents and children faced “a range of obstacles in establishing contact”. There are 16,221 children who were forcibly taken to Russia, according to UN investigators.
These acts violate international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes, they added.
Ms. Lvova-Belova is co-accused in the crime.
What other war crimes has Russia allegedly committed?
The UN panel of investigators said that in addition to rape and torture, the Russians are also responsible for attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, said the Bbc.
It also highlights the mass burial sites – at Bucha and Izium (in Kharkiv) – accusing Russia of more serious “crimes against humanity”.
There are also allegations by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia committed 400 war crimes in the Kherson region alone.
How are war crimes prosecuted?
Human Rights Watch said the ICC prosecutes the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
However, the International Criminal Court does not have the power to arrest suspects and Russia is not a signatory to the treaty that established the court (the Rome Statute), making the extradition of any suspect nearly impossible. .
What impact will the arrest warrant have on Mr. Putin?
The Russian president enjoys unchallenged power in his native country, so there is no prospect of the Kremlin handing him over to the ICC. Until he is in Russia, Mr. Putin is in no danger of being arrested.
However, Mr Putin could be detained if he leaves Russia, so he may have to restrict his movements. But, due to international sanctions against him during the war in Ukraine, he is unlikely to show up in any country that would want to try him.
