The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes over his alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine.
On Friday (March 17), the ICC also issued a warrant for the arrest of Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, on similar charges, read a report of Voice Of America.
Ukraine is not a member of this court, but the country has accepted the ICC’s jurisdiction over its territory. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has visited Ukraine four times since launching the investigation a year ago.
The ICC said its pre-trial chamber found ‘reasonable grounds to believe that each of the suspects is responsible for the war crimes of the illegal deportation of Ukrainian nationals and the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children, i.e. nationals, from territory occupied by Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
While Russia rejected the court’s complaint and warrant as null and void, others said the ICC’s action would have a significant impact.
The large-scale investigation also found evidence of crimes committed against Ukrainians on Russian soil. For example, deported Ukrainian children were prevented from reuniting with their families. This is a “segregation” system. It aims to single out Ukrainians for detention. In addition, evidence of torture and inhumane detention conditions was also found.
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