Judges of the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrant against Putin for alleged war crimes

Specifically, he has been charged with the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from Ukrainian war-captured areas to Russian territory. In any case, the possibility that the ICC ends up prosecuting Putin is practically nil for several reasons.

01:27

Euskaraz irakurri: Nazioarteko Zigor Auzitegiak Putin atxilotzeko agindua eman du, Ukrainan egindako gerra krimenak egotzita

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued this Friday an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of being responsible for war crimes committed in Ukraine. Specifically, for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from areas captured during the Ukrainian war to Russian territory.

The possibility that the ICC ends up trying Putin is practically nil for several reasons: the court cannot hear cases ‘in absentia’ of the defendant, Russia withdrew in 2016 from the Rome Statute that serves as the legal foundation for the court, and the Kremlin has no intention of handing over any Russian officials to the court, as it has already reiterated on numerous occasions.

However, he is qualified, at least, to impute Putin, given that does not recognize immunity for heads of state in cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

It has also issued an arrest warrant for the same reason against the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights of the Russian Federation, Maria Alexeievna Lvova-Belovathe court has made known in a statement.

The court understands “reasonable grounds” to believe that Putin “has individual criminal responsibility” for these crimes, either for his “direct” commission or for having been unable to “exercise adequate control over the civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts.” .

The Kremlin has consistently denied that it is forcibly deporting Ukrainian children in the face of accusations made by kyiv and its allies. According to the Ukrainian government at least 16,000 children have ended up displaced against their will to Russian territoryor since the beginning of the conflict while a recent study presented in February by Yale University denounced at least 6,000 Ukrainian children spread over 40 Russian boarding schools.

Friday’s arrest warrants represent the first international charges filed since the start of the conflict and come after months of work by a special investigative team under the CPI’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan. For its issuance it has been necessary for a preliminary panel of judges to accept the validity of the evidence presented.

Russia describes it as “legally null”

Russia has described the arrest warrant for the Kremlin chief as “legally void”. “The possible ‘prescriptions’ for arrest that come out of the International Court will be legally null for us,” he wrote. Maria ZakharovaRussian Foreign Affairs spokesperson, on his Telegram channel.

Along the same lines, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskovhas called the order “outrageous” and “inadmissible.”

Rather, the organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has applauded the arrest warrant, to the extent that “it is a great day for the many victims of the crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine since 2014.” HRW has seen in the order “a first step to end the impunity” that for years has surrounded the Ukrainian conflict.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrellhas also celebrated the arrest warrant and has ensured that this “is nothing more than the beginning of the process of accountability for Russia and its leaders.”

Borrell has indicated that this is an “important” decision for international justice and for the people of Ukraine. “There can be no impunity,” she added.