The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is taking a hardline stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he believes Putin could face trial for alleged crimes committed during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Despite Moscow’s arguments that it is not subject to the court’s rulings, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for an alleged plan to send Ukrainian children to Russia.
Russia is one of several major countries that have not signed the treaty that brought the court into being. Given this, Putin is highly unlikely to submit to the court’s jurisdiction. However, in an interview with CNN’s Clarissa Ward, lead prosecutor Karim Khan pointed to the historic trials of Nazi war criminals, former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, and former Liberian leader Charles Taylor, as examples of untouchable figures facing justice. “They were all powerful, powerful individuals and yet they found themselves in the courts,” he said.
Khan said the move had already made history by making Putin the first head of state of a permanent member of the UN Security Council to be issued an arrest warrant. This is a significant moment in the history of international law and sends a strong message to those who commit crimes against humanity that they will be held accountable for their actions.
The allegations against Putin stem from his government’s involvement in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea. The conflict has since escalated into an armed confrontation between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. The conflict has claimed more than 13,000 lives and displaced over 1.5 million people.
The ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin is based on evidence that his government was involved in the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. According to the court, Putin is accused of having “knowingly and intentionally targeted Ukrainian children, who were particularly vulnerable, for the purpose of transferring them from Ukraine to the Russian Federation, with the intention of changing the demographic composition of Crimea.”
The move has been met with strong criticism from the Russian government, which has always maintained that it is not subject to the ICC’s jurisdiction. Russian officials have accused the court of being biased against their country, and have dismissed the allegations against Putin as baseless.
However, Khan has dismissed these arguments, saying that the ICC has a duty to hold those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable, regardless of their position or status. “I don’t think there can be immunity for anybody,” he said. “If there is prima facie evidence that an individual has engaged in those type of crimes, then they should be held to account.”
This is not the first time that Putin has been accused of war crimes. The Russian government’s involvement in the conflict in Syria has also come under scrutiny, with allegations that Russian forces have targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure in their campaign to prop up the Assad regime. However, Putin has always denied these claims, and the Russian government has repeatedly blocked attempts by the international community to hold it accountable.
Despite the challenges that lie ahead, Khan is determined to pursue the case against Putin. He believes that the evidence against the Russian president is strong enough to hold up in court, and that the ICC has a duty to pursue justice for the victims of the Ukraine conflict. “The victims, the survivors, the families of the victims, they have a right to have their day in court,” he said. “They have a right to see that justice is done.”
However, the road to justice will not be an easy one. With the Russian government continuing to resist the ICC’s jurisdiction, it is unclear how the court will be able to enforce its arrest warrant. But for Khan, the pursuit of justice is worth the effort. “International criminal justice is a journey, not a destination,” he said. “And we are on that journey.”
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court told CNN that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin could face trial for alleged crimes committed during Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite Moscow’s arguments that it is subject to the court’s rulings. is not
He was speaking after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for an alleged plan to send Ukrainian children to Russia.
Russia is one of several major countries that have not signed the treaty that brought the court into being. Given this, Putin is highly unlikely to submit to the court’s jurisdiction.
But in an interview with CNN’s Clarissa Ward, lead prosecutor Karim Khan pointed to the historic trials of Nazi war criminals, former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, and former Liberian leader Charles Taylor, as examples of untouchable figures facing justice.
“They were all powerful, powerful individuals and yet they found themselves in the courts,” he said.
Khan said the move had already made history by making Putin the first head of state of a permanent member of the UN Security Council to be issued an arrest warrant.