The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, a hugely significant and symbolic step, even if he never faces trial.
The ICC specifically alleges that Putin is responsible for the “unlawful deportation” and transfer of Ukrainian children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. The court also issued a warrant for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, for similar war crimes.
These are the first ICC warrants for alleged war crimes in Ukraine — and the court went directly for Putin. “Going straight to the top is a bold move for the ICC, but one that makes sense in this situation,” Rebecca Hamilton, associate professor at American University Washington College of Law, wrote in an email. “There are so many different actors working on accountability for war crimes in Ukraine, but the ICC is the only one with the capacity to go after President Putin.”
This is not the first time the ICC has issued a warrant to a sitting head of state, but it is the first for a head of state of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. “In that sense, it is much more politically consequential than the other indictments that the ICC issued for heads of state,” said David Bosco, an international law expert and associate professor at the University of Indiana Bloomington.
At the same time, there is very little chance Putin will actually face trial. The accused can’t stand trial in absentia, and Russia is not a party to the ICC (neither is the US; Ukraine isn’t either, but it has previously accepted the court’s ad hoc jurisdiction.) “The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova posted on Telegram.
But this warrant will likely make it even more difficult for Putin to travel abroad, especially to other countries that…
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