The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, sees it possible that the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, face trial for alleged war crimes.
“Those who believe it is impossible” for the Russian leader to be held accountable for acts committed in Ukraine “do not understand history,” Khan said.
Also read: ”Arrest warrant against Putin is just the beginning”: Ukraine
The prosecutor cited the Nuremberg Trials (1945-1946) as examples. -for war crimes in Nazi Germany- and the judicial process for the genocide in Rwanda.
“All of them involved powerful and imposing individuals and yet they ended up in court,” Khan added.
The prosecutor also pointed out that, through the arrest warrant against Putin issued by the ICC this Friday, they want to send a clear message: “No one should feel that they can commit genocide or crimes against humanity. with impunity”.
The ICC published an arrest warrant against the Russian president as “alleged responsible” for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children and their transfer from occupied areas in the Ukraine to Russia, which is a war crime under this court’s treaty known as the Rome Statute.
The preliminaries room the ICC too issued a second arrest warrant against Russian politician Maria Lvova-Belova, Presidential Commissioner for the Rights of the Child in Russia, with the same accusation.
Also read: ICC issues arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin
Both arrest warrants are the first of their kind issued by the ICC in the context of its investigation into possible war crimes committed by Russia in the conflict with Ukraine.
The Russian government described the arrest warrant as “outrageous”, “inadmissible” and “legally void”.since Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC.
