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Vladimir Putin’s arrest warrant is ‘first shot’ in potentially substantial indictment against him | UK News


Ukraine’s top lawyer said the arrest warrant issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin was the “first shot” of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in what could be a worthy indictment. told against him.

The intergovernmental group – based in The Hague – alleged Mr. Putin responsible for the kidnapping of children from Ukraine.

An arrest warrant has also been issued for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Russiaof the commissioner in charge of children, on similar charges of war crimes.

Speaking to Sky News, the Ukrainian government’s lead lawyer, Ben Emmerson, said he believes there are two reasons why a warrant for Mr Putin’s arrest has been issued at this time.

The moment, he said, appears to be the decision by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations in Geneva “to publish a report detailing what the judges believe to be Russian war crimes in Ukraine – including allegations that the forced entry of children from Ukraine into Russia is a war crime.”

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What does the arrest warrant for Putin mean?

Mr Emmerson said another aspect of the timing of arrest warrants was that “sometimes when indictments are issued, they are sealed”.

“In other words, they are not made public. But more and more, we are seeing indictments being issued against leaders in an ongoing conflict regarding the indictment against General Gaddafi , such as during the uprising in Libya.”

Putin in danger of ‘taking responsibility’

He said it must be recognized that issuing an indictment against a head of state sitting in the middle of an armed conflict is “influencing conduct to some extent or is intended to influence behavior of those involved”.

In other words, this is clearly the first shot in what could eventually be a much more serious indictment against President Putin.

He went on to say that he believes the main aim is to make Mr. Putin and those around him aware of the “very real danger that exists of criminal charges at the appropriate time”.

As for whether he thinks narrow charges are a strategic move by the ICC, he said that Karim Khan, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, has made it clear that he intends act “not on political grounds, but on the basis of prosecutions”.

“In other words, he will pick the cases where he is very confident he can win and win with the support of the evidence,” Mr. Emmerson said.

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How Russia ‘steals’ Ukrainian children

Russian leader makes ‘erratic and belligerent moves’

Mr Emmerson suspects that the reason why this particular charge was chosen in the indictment against Mr Putin was to “demonstrate his responsibility for this and indeed the responsibility of the commissioner in charge of children”. is very clear”.

When asked if the arrest warrant could offer some hope for Ukrainian families to get their children back, Mr Emmerson said he was always skeptical because “it seems pretty obvious that [Russian authorities] often very unpredictable”.

“But that being said, these children were taken away illegally and in violation of humanitarian law. They were indeed abducted. This is not the first time Russia has done this – it has been did this during the 2014 war in Donbas.”

He added that “when the lawless situation unfolds as it is now, the Russian military and authorities as well as the Russian leadership are behaving with increasingly erratic and belligerent moves, things remain unpredictable.” before”.

‘Putin clearly committed war crimes’

The arrest warrant was issued after the US President Joe Biden describe The ICC’s decision to issue it was “justifiable”..

The Kremlin said Russia, which does not recognize the ICC, found the court’s questions “outrageous and unacceptable”.

Read more:
Putin’s ‘child kidnappers’ and other fugitives wanted by the International Criminal Court
Vladimir Putin visits Crimea on the anniversary of the annexation of this region from Ukraine

But Mr Biden, speaking at a news conference on Friday, said: “He [Putin] clearly committed a war crime.

“I think it makes sense [the warrant]. But the question is – it’s not internationally recognized either. But I think it makes a very strong point.”

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Putin ‘clearly committed war crimes’

Although both Russia and the US have been signatories to the Rome Statute – the treaty that established the ICC – the US has never ratified the agreement, while Russia withdrew after the court criticized its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Along with the ICC arrest warrant, the United States separately concluded that Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine.

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“There is no doubt that Russia is committing war crimes and atrocities. [in] Ukraine, and we have been clear that those responsible should be held accountable,” a State Department spokesman said.

Russia said the ICC’s order was “null and void” because it did not recognize the court.

Meanwhile, Ms Lvova-Belova said her arrest warrant confirms her work “helping the children of our country”.

The allegations come as Russia prepares to mark the ninth anniversary of its annexation of Crimea in 2014, an event Mr. Putin is expected to mark with a “patriotic” rally at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium this weekend.

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