Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov are responsible for attacks on civilian targets, and they have also committed crimes against humanity.
The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the aggressor country’s chief of general staff Valery Gerasimov. The press service of the court reported this on Tuesday, June 25.
It is indicated that these warrants are related to the war in Ukraine for possible international crimes committed from October 10, 2022 to March 9, 2023.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that they bear individual criminal responsibility for the crimes mentioned above,” the statement said.
The Pre-Trial Chamber found that there was reason to believe that both suspects were responsible for Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian energy sector. They believe that “the level of expected accidental damage, as well as damage to the civilian population, can clearly be considered excessive when compared to the expected military superiority.”
Shoigu and Gerasimov are responsible for the war crimes of committing attacks on civilian objects (Article 8(2)(b)(ii) of the Rome Statute), war crimes that caused excessive incidental damage to the civilian population or damage to civilian objects (Article 8 (2)(b)(iv) of the Rome Statute), as well as crimes against humanity consisting of inhuman acts, as provided for in Article 7(1)(k) of the Rome Statute.
“Considering the fact that the main factual statements are duly supported by the evidence and other supporting materials presented by the prosecution at this stage of the trial, the Chamber decided to address the legal requirements for the release of the requested arrest warrants,” the ICC added.
As you know, on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, accusing him of illegally deporting thousands of children from Ukraine.
The Kremlin hastened to declare that the Russian Federation does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and that it considers its decisions “worthless”. But after that, Putin was forced to limit his visits abroad.
Source: korrespondent
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.