International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin
The International Bar Association (IBA) has called on Mongolia to abide by its obligations as a state party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled visit beginning on Sept. 3.
Mongolia, which has been a state party since it ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2002, had a duty to arrest and surrender individuals wanted by the ICC, including Putin, said the IBA in a news release. Failing that, the ICC should cancel the visit, the IBA added.
“ICC States Parties should not be inviting persons subject to an ICC arrest warrant to visit their countries for any reason,” said Mark Ellis, executive director of the IBA, in the news release. “Full stop.”
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin on a war crime charge, specifically for the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia, the IBA’s news release noted.
“The ICC judges have found reasonable grounds to believe that President Putin committed serious crimes in the context of Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine,” said Ellis in the news release.
“Mongolia’s membership in the ICC and its respect for the rule of law demands that it comply with this arrest warrant or let President Putin know that he is not welcome in Mongolia,” Ellis added in the news release. Ellis urged Mongolia to prioritize the rule of law over politics.
“States Parties agree to be the caretakers of the ICC’s mandate and credibility, as part of their commitment to ensuring victims of the most serious crimes see justice and accountability,” said Kate Orlovsky, director of the IBA International Criminal Court and International Criminal Law Program, in the news release.
The ICC was established by treaty in 1998. It aims to prosecute genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. The ICC expects its 124 state parties to assist with judicial orders, including those in relation to the arrest and surrender of suspects, given that the international court lacks its own police force, the IBA’s news release emphasized.
“We call on all States Parties to remind Mongolia of the importance of this essential cooperation, and to enforce appropriate consequences in the event of non-cooperation,” Orlovsky said in the news release.
