ICC reacts to threats over Putin’s arrest warrant
The International Criminal Court embodies the collective obligation of the countries parties to the Rome Statute to fight impunity for serious international crimes.
The Presidium of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute has pledged unwavering support for the International Criminal Court as the ICC has been threatened over a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the press service of the International Criminal Court, the Presidium deplores these attempts to hinder efforts to ensure accountability for acts prohibited by international law.
“The Presidium of the Assembly emphasizes that the Court, its elected officers and its staff have the strong support of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute. We reaffirm the Assembly’s full confidence in the Court as an independent and impartial judicial institution and reiterate our firm commitment to uphold and protect the principles and values enshrined in the Rome Statute and preserve its integrity,” the message reads.
It is noted that the International Criminal Court embodies the collective obligation of the Assembly to fight impunity for serious international crimes.
“As an institution of last resort, the court complements national jurisdictions. We call on all states to respect the independence of courts and prosecutors,” the ICC website says.
Arrest warrant for Putin
On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. Both are suspected of illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Karim Khan, stressed that Putin’s arrest warrant is for life. He recalled that there is no statute of limitations for war crimes.
The Kremlin’s reaction to the warrant did not appear immediately. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a few days later that the Kremlin did not take the ICC decision “to heart” and that the dictator’s arrest warrant was yet another “hostile manifestation” against the Russian Federation.