The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said that after the ICC issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, this is the first concrete step, while other investigations are ongoing in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

• Will Putin end up in handcuffs? What does the decision of the International Criminal Court mean – explanation of a lawyer

Hundreds of Ukrainian children have been taken from orphanages and orphanages and taken to Russia, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, said Friday, after the ICC issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for citizens’ rights. . baby.

“Many of these children, as we claim, were given up for adoption in the Russian Federation,” he added.

Khan noted that changes in Russian legislation made it easier for Russian families to adopt children, while at the time of deportation, Ukrainian children were protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

In a statement, Khan called today’s arrest warrants a “concrete first step” while other investigations in Ukraine continue.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced this month after a visit to Ukraine that the alleged child abductions are “the subject of a priority investigation.”

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin on suspicion of illegal deportation of children and illegal transfer of people from the territory of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

Reuters reported earlier this week that the court is expected to issue warrants, the first in an investigation into the conflict in Ukraine.

What is the decision of the International Criminal Court about?

• “Mr. Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Putin, born on October 7, 1952, President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of the population (children) and illegal transfer of the population (children) from the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (in accordance with Articles 8(2) (a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed on the occupied territory of Ukraine at least as of February 24, 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the above crimes (i) because he acted directly with others and/or through others (Article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute) and (ii) because his failure to exercise adequate control over the civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts or permitted them to be committed and who were under his authority and effective control in accordance with the responsibility of the superior (Article 28 (b) of the Rome Statute).
• Mrs. Maria Oleksiivna Lviva-Belova, born on October 25, 1984, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of the population (children) and illegal displacement of the population. (children) from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (in accordance with Articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed on the occupied Ukrainian territory at least since February 24, 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Ms. Lvivova-Belova bears individual criminal responsibility for the above-mentioned crimes, since she committed these actions directly, together with others and/or through others (Article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute).
• The second chamber of preliminary proceedings, on the basis of the requests of the prosecutor’s office dated February 22, 2023, recognized that there are good reasons to believe that each suspect is involved in the war crime of illegal deportation of the population and illegal transfer of the population from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, to the detriment of Ukrainian children. the ICC said in a statement.

The first reactions of Moscow and Kyiv

• In the first reaction from Moscow, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, stated on her Telegram channel: “The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no significance for our country, including from a legal point of view.”

“Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and has no obligations under it.”

• Ukraine talks about a historic decision, but this is “only the beginning.”

High-ranking officials of Ukraine highly praised the decision of the International Court of Justice, and the Prosecutor General of the country Andriy Kostin called it “a historic decision for Ukraine and the entire system of international law.”

The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, said that the issuance of the mandate is “just the beginning.”

• What does Maria Lvova-Belova say about the ICC arrest warrant in her name

What is the Rome Statute?

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (often called the Statute of the International Criminal Court or the Rome Statute) is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome on July 17, 1998 and entered into force on July 1, 2002. The International Tribunal is responsible for four main crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.

Neither Ukraine nor Russia were parties to the Rome Statute and did not ratify its founding text.

Russia signed the Rome Statute in 2000, but never ratified it to become a member of the ICC, and finally withdrew its signature in 2016.

At the time, Russia was under international pressure over its seizure and unilateral annexation of Crimea in 2014, as well as a campaign of airstrikes in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad’s war against rebels.