ICC plans to indict Putin in war crimes cases: NYT

Ahram Online , Tuesday 14 Mar 2023

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday said it had opened two war crimes cases against several individuals involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while sources are revealing plans to indict Russian President Vladimir Putin, as reported by the New York Times (NYT).

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to award outstanding Russian women who represent various professions, at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. AP

The ICC is actively seeking out arrest warrants for other suspects and cites the abduction of Ukrainian children and Russia’s deliberate attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure as the primary allegations.

In this context, foreign diplomats and experts speculate that the criminal court could indict Putin, as the ICC considers the head of state’s immunity null and void in cases involving war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, added the newspaper.

Officials not authorized to speak publicly, said the ICC will seek arrest warrants for several individuals. However, in either case, arrest warrants for the suspects are unlikely to be issued in the near future.

However, the court cannot consider cases in absentia, and Russia is unlikely to extradite its officials as it continues to deny any allegations of war crimes.

A report published in February by Yale University and the Conflict Observatory program of the U.S. State Department said that at least 6,000 children from Ukraine were being held in a total of 43 camps in Russia, with the actual number thought to be higher. The National Information Bureau of the Ukrainian government said that as of early March it could be more than 16,000.