(Finance) – The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against the Russian president Vladimir Putin – in connection with the war in Ukraine – “responsible for the war crime of deportation and illegal transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia”. This is what we read in the communiqué released by the Court itself.
Arrest warrant also issued against Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights at the Kremlin. The crimes would have been committed in the occupied territory of Ukraine starting at least February 24, 2022.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the above crimes, for having committed the acts directly, together with others and/or through a third party, and for his lack of control over the civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts”, explains the Court underlining that both arrest warrants were issued by the II Preliminary chamber after the indictment motions presented on February 22, 2023, exactly one year after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and of having kept them so far “secret in order to protect victims and witnesses and also to safeguard investigations”.
“However – explains the Court -, caware that the alleged conduct in the case would be in progress, and that public knowledge of the mandates can help prevent the further commission of crimesthe Chamber has considered that it is in the interest of justice to authorize the Chancellery to make public the existence of the warrants, the names of the suspects, the crimes for which the warrants have been issued and the methods of liability established by the Chamber”
“The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin. No need to explain WHERE this document should be used,” Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev replied on Twitter, adding a toilet paper emoji.
“We continue to work”, says Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, commenting on the arrest warrant. The Tax reports it.