Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz (Olaf Scholz, Social Democratic Party of Germany) welcomed the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the arrest of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. “No one can stand above the law and the law,” Scholz said on Saturday, March 18, during a visit to Tokyo.
The International Criminal Court is “an important institution whose purpose is determined in accordance with international treaties,” Scholz said.
First ICC warrant for the arrest of an incumbent head of state who is a member of the UN Security Council
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on March 17 Vladimir Putin in connection with the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia during the war in Ukraine. Another arrest warrant was issued against Maria Alekseevna Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of Russia, on the same charge.
This is the first ICC warrant for the arrest of a sitting head of state who is a member of the UN Security Council. Internationally, the decision received mostly positive reviews. The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in turn, called this step “legally insignificant.”
Chamber Decision ICC
Vladimir Putin is allegedly responsible for the illegal deportation and transfer of children from the occupied regions of Ukraine to Russia, the website of the International Criminal Court said. The crimes could have been happening since at least February 24, 2022.
There are “reasonable grounds for believing” that Putin carries individual criminal liability for committing crimes directly, jointly with others and/or through other persons. It is assumed that the President of Russia also did not exercise proper control over the civilian and military subordinates who committed these acts or allowed them to be committed.
Arrest warrants for Putin and Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova were issued on February 22.
See also:
