The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Ahmad Khan, said that the crimes with which Vladimir Putin and Marina Lvova-Belova are accused became apparent to him during his last visit to Ukraine.
While there, I visited one of the orphanages from which the children were probably taken, not far from the current front line of the conflict. The stories of those who cared for these children, and their fears about what became of them, indicated the need for urgent action, Khan said.
He added that judges must ensure that those responsible for alleged crimes are brought to justice and that children are returned to their families and communities.
Until Putin and Lvov-Belov are arrested, the ISS cannot hold a meeting, court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah told Obshchestvennoy.
According to him, Ukraine may demand their arrest on the territory of 123 countries that recognize the decision of the ISS. The investigation continues at the request and materials of Ukraine.
List of The Hague
Vladimir Putin has become the sixth head of state to come under international criminal investigation.
Pavel Chikov, a lawyer and head of the Agora international human rights group, writes about this in his telegram channel.
The first head of state to present before the International Criminal Court in 2011 was the President of Côte d’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo. He was accused of crimes against humanity committed during the armed conflict in the country in 2010-2011. After 8 years, in 2019, Gbagbo was acquitted.
The future President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, was accused by the International Criminal Court of committing crimes against humanity during the political crisis in Kenya in 2007-2008. In 2014, these charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been in custody in his country since 2019 and is awaiting extradition to The Hague. The International Criminal Court accuses him of organizing and carrying out the genocide.
The first convicted head of state was Liberian President Charles Taylor. He was tried by the Special Court for Sierra Leone. He found him guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes and complicity in crimes against humanity. On May 30, 2012, the court sentenced Charles Taylor to 50 years in prison.
Slobodan Milosevic, former president of Serbia, died in a UN prison in The Hague without waiting for a verdict. He was judged by the predecessor of the ISS, the Tribunal from the former Yugoslavia.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.