Russia’s Investigative Committee has initiated criminal cases against the prosecutor and judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to the court issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as per the committee’s official Telegram channel.
The criminal cases have been initiated against the prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan, as well as judges Tomoko Akane, Rosario Salvatore Aitala, and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godínez.
It is noted that it was Karim Ahmad Khan to file a motion for arrest warrants on Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s rights Maria Lvova-Belova. The criminal case against him has been opened under the articles on criminally prosecuting a person known to be innocent as well as illegally accusing a person of committing a grave or especially grave crime, and on preparing an attack on a foreign state’s representative, protected internationally, for the purpose of complicating international relations.
The criminal cases against the judges have been opened under the articles on illegal detention and preparing an attack on a foreign state’s representative, protected internationally, for the purpose of complicating international relations.
“This criminal persecution is blatantly illegal, seeing as there are no grounds for being held criminally liable,” the committee’s statement reads.
The Investigate Committee has also pointed out that heads of state enjoy absolute immunity when it comes to foreign states’ jurisdiction.
On 17 March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Putin and Lvova-Belova.
“Putin <…> is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation,” reads the ICC statement. Maria Lvova-Belova is suspected of a similar crime.
