Happy St Paddy’s Vlad

Today, March 17, the International Criminal Court issued warrants for the arrest of war criminals – Volodymyr Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova (who, on Putin’s order, is engaged in organizing the abduction/removal of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia).

Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, born on 7 October 1952, President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes, (i) for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others (article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute), and (ii) for his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts, or allowed for their commission, and who were under his effective authority and control, pursuant to superior responsibility (article 28(b) of the Rome Statute).

Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, born on 25 October 1984, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the  President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Ms Lvova-Belova bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes, for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others (article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute).

Pre-Trial Chamber II considered, based on the Prosecution’s applications of 22 February 2023, that there are reasonable grounds to believe that each suspect bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population and that of unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children.

The Chamber considered that the warrants are secret in order to protect victims and witnesses and also to safeguard the investigation. Nevertheless, mindful that the conduct addressed in the present situation is allegedly ongoing, and that the public awareness of the warrants may contribute to the prevention of the further commission of crimes, the Chamber considered that it is in the interests of justice to authorise the Registry to publicly disclose the existence of the warrants, the name of the suspects, the crimes for which the warrants are issued, and the modes of liability as established by the Chamber.

The abovementioned warrants of arrests were issued pursuant to the applications submitted by the Prosecution on 22 February 2023.

Now Vladimir Putin and Maria Lviva-Belova will not be able to travel to countries that have ratified the Rome Statute and to countries that recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (which, for a moment, is as many as 123 countries).

These are all European countries, all of South America, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa, CAR.

In case of a visit of Putin or Lvivova-Belova to one of these 123 countries, the local authorities are obliged to arrest these persons.

Of course, this is a formality, but it is a powerful political message that war criminals are no longer going to be “dealt with” and nobody considers Putin untouchable anymore.

Apparently, arrest warrants have been issued for a wider range of Russian high-ranking officials involved in war crimes, but they have not been announced publicly and are kept secret. Today, we are waiting for new cries of “Hoyda!” on Russian talk shows.