The comments of the international tribunal come after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened to hit the war crimes court with hypersonic missiles.
The International Criminal Court has expressed concern about “threats” from Russia following its issuance of an arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin for war crimes.
International Criminal Court statement The concern on Wednesday came after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened to hit the war crimes court in The Hague with hypersonic missiles. It also came on the heels of Russia’s highest investigative body opening a criminal case against the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as well as the judges who issued Putin’s arrest warrant.
The Presidency of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties said it “regrets these attempts to obstruct international efforts to ensure accountability for acts prohibited under public international law.”
The presidency said the association “reaffirms its unwavering support for the International Criminal Court.”
The International Criminal Court embodies our collective commitment to combating impunity for the most serious international crimes. As an institution of last resort, the Court is complementary to national jurisdictions. We call on all states to respect the independence of the judiciary and public prosecution.
Medvedev said on Monday: “It is quite possible to imagine the launch of a hypersonic missile from the North Sea from a Russian ship in the Hague court.”
He added, “Everyone walks in the shadow of God and the missiles… Look at the sky carefully…”
The International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant, issued on Friday, accuses the Russian president of illegally deporting thousands of Ukrainian children, a war crime.
The legal move would oblige the court’s 123 member states to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their soil.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the ICC, although Kiev has given the court jurisdiction to try crimes committed on its territory. The court also does not have its own police force and relies on member states to make arrests.
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova Belova, Russia’s Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, on similar charges.
Moscow dismissed the orders as “null and void” and Russia’s top investigative committee said there were no grounds for criminal responsibility on the part of Putin. He also said that heads of state enjoy absolute immunity under the 1973 United Nations Convention.
The commission said the actions of the ICC prosecutor in issuing the arrest warrants showed signs of being crimes under Russian law, including accusing an innocent person of a crime.
Ukraine, which says more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia since the invasion on February 24, 2022, has called the ICC a “historic decision” that would lead to “historic accountability”.
Its Western allies, including the United States and the European Union, also welcomed the court’s move.
Although the United States is not a party to the International Criminal Court, President Joe Biden said on Friday that Putin had clearly committed war crimes, adding that the ICC warrant was justified.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged all members of the ICC to comply with the warrant.
“I think anyone who is a party to the court and has obligations should live up to their obligations,” Blinken said Wednesday when asked by US Senator Lindsey Graham, at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, if he would encourage European allies to “turn in” Putin. .
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