The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the presumption of war crime for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from areas captured during the Ukrainian war to Russian territory.
The ICC has also issued an arrest warrant on the same grounds against the presidential commissioner for children’s rights of the Russian Federation, Maria Alekseievna Lvova-Belova, the court said in a statement.
The court finds “reasonable grounds” to believe that Putin “bears individual criminal responsibility” for these crimes, either for their “direct” commission or for his failure 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 Kiev and its allies. According to the Ukrainian government, at least 16,000 children have been displaced against their will to Russian territory since the beginning of the conflict, while a recent study presented in February by Yale University reported at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in 40 Russian boarding schools.
Officially wanted by the ICC: putin and lvova-belova.
Kidnappers of Ukrainian children.
The Hague is waiting for them. pic.twitter.com/q0yaWHNOXR— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 17, 2023
Friday’s arrest warrants represent the first international charges filed since the beginning of the conflict and come after months of work by a special investigation team under the orders of ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan. Their issuance has required a preliminary panel of judges to accept the validity of the evidence presented.
The possibility of the ICC eventually trying Putin is virtually impossible for several reasons: the court cannot hear cases ‘in the absence of the accused, Russia withdrew in 2016 from the Rome Statute that serves as the legal foundation for the court, and the Kremlin has absolutely no intention of handing over any Russian officials to the court, as it has already reiterated on numerous occasions.
However, the ICC does, at the very least, have the capacity to indict Putin, given that it does not recognize immunity for heads of state in cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide. As a particular note, the ICC has made an exceptional case in identifying Putin and Lvova-Belova by name, contrary to the usual doctrine favoring anonymity, by stating that “public knowledge of the orders may contribute to the prevention of the commission of new crimes”, particularly that of forced child deportation, “which is still continuing”.
-Thailand News (TN)
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