International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine

International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine : The International Criminal Court on 17 March issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin on charges of war crimes.

An overview of the news

The move mandates 123 member states to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he steps onto their territory. It was immediately rejected by Moscow while Ukraine on the other hand welcomed the decision.

March 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

Why did the International Criminal Court issue the warrants?

The International Criminal Court says Putin committed war crimes in Ukraine. He is responsible for the crime of kidnapping and deportation of Ukrainian children. According to the court, these crimes were allegedly committed from 24 February 2022 on Ukrainian-occupied territory. The court also issued a warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

It was set up in July 2002 under the Rome treaty of 1998. It is the only permanent court to prosecute persons for crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and crimes of agression.  At present 123 countries are its members. The United States, China, and Israel are not its members.

March 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

The court’s jurisdiction  extends to offences that occurred after July 1, 2002, that were committed either in a state that has ratified the agreement or by a national of such a state or the case which was referred to it by the United Nations Security Council.

The Headquarters of ICC: The Hague, Netherlands

ICC is different from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

ICJ is a United Nations court which hears disputes involving the member states of the United Nations.