The arrest warrant issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin will not expire if and when the war started by Moscow in Ukraine ends, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said on the BBC on Monday, The Guardian reports. .

Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the ICCPhoto: Mykola Tys/SOPA Images / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
  • “There is no statute of limitations for war crimes. This is one of the Nuremberg principles, and people, wherever they are, must be aware that there is a law and that there are responsibilities associated with power,” said the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

He clarified that the arrest warrants issued for Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova remain valid for the rest of their lives, “unless they appear before independent judges of the first instance and they decide to dismiss the case.” “.

The ICC on Friday issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian president’s commissioner for children’s rights, for deporting Ukrainian children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia, which is a war crime under the Rome Statute, the court’s founding treaty signed by 123 countries . In May 2022, Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree that accelerated the process of Ukrainians obtaining Russian citizenship, and since then Russia has admitted that it has “transferred” 2,000 children from Ukraine to its territory.

Vladimir Putin can be arrested “immediately” in almost 130 countries based on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Monday. “If President Putin goes to one of the almost 130 countries that have signed this international agreement, he should be detained immediately,” he said.

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.