Russian Investigative Committee opens a case against prosecutor and judges of the ICC in The Hague

Image of scales of justice and a judge's gavel.

Image of scales of justice and a judge's gavel. Credit: Zolnierek/Shutterstock.com

A criminal case was opened against the prosecutor and judges of the Hague’s International Criminal Court (ICC) by the Russian Investigative Committee in response to the arrest warrant issued for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.

This Monday, March 20, the Investigative Committee of Russia opened a case against the judges and the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. They were responding to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and children’s ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova.

In a statement, the RFIC said: “The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case against the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Ahmad Khan, and the judges of the International Criminal Court, Tomoko Akane, Rosario Salvatore Aytala, and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez”.

According to the department: “the prosecution of the President of Russia and the Children’s Ombudsman by the court is obviously illegal since there are no grounds for criminal liability”, as reported by dailystorm.ru.

On March 17, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. A similar decision was made with respect to Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights.

In response, Dmitry Peskov, the presidential Press Secretary, insisted that the issuance of an ICC warrant for Putin’s arrest was legally void. The Kremlin spokesman recalled that Russia, like many other countries, does not recognise the jurisdiction of the Hague Court.

“We consider the very posing of the question outrageous and unacceptable, Russia, like a number of states, does not recognise the jurisdiction of this court and, accordingly, any decisions of this kind are null and void for the Russian Federation from the point of view of law”, stated the Kremlin spokesman.

That is, in fact, the only thing I would like and could tell you about this decision”, he added. Peskov did not comment on the clarifying question of whether this court decision will affect Putin’s visits to countries that do recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC. “I have nothing to add on this topic”, he concluded.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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