CNN exclusive: ICC chief prosecutor says it’s possible Putin could be tried for alleged crimes at some point

The Worldwide Legal Court docket, which operates independently, is situated in The Hague, Netherlands, and was created by a treaty referred to as the Rome Statute first introduced earlier than the United Nations.

Most nations on Earth – 123 of them – are events to the treaty, however there are some notable exceptions, together with Russia, in addition to the US, Ukraine and China.

The ICC is supposed to be a courtroom of “final resort” and isn’t supposed to exchange a rustic’s justice system. The courtroom, which has 18 judges serving nine-year phrases, tries 4 sorts of crimes: genocide, crimes towards humanity, crimes of aggression and struggle crimes.

Putin arrest warrant: The ICC on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian commissioner for youngsters’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian kids to Russia.

The courtroom mentioned there “are cheap grounds to consider that Mr Putin bears particular person felony accountability” for the alleged crimes, for having dedicated them straight alongside others, and for “his failure to train management correctly over civilian and army subordinates who dedicated the acts.”

Studies of Ukrainian kids in Russia: The Ukrainian authorities says many lacking kids have been forcibly taken to Russia. The Russian authorities doesn’t deny taking Ukrainian kids and has made their adoption by Russian households a centerpiece of propaganda.

A number of the kids have ended up 1000’s of miles and a number of other time zones away from Ukraine. In keeping with Lvova-Belova’s workplace, Ukrainian children have been despatched to stay in establishments and with foster households in 19 totally different Russian areas, together with Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tyumen areas in Siberia and Murmansk within the Arctic.

In April 2022, the workplace of Lvova-Belova mentioned that round 600 kids from Ukraine had been positioned in orphanages in Kursk and Nizhny Novgorod earlier than being despatched to stay with households within the Moscow area. As of mid-October, 800 kids from Ukraine’s jap Donbas space have been residing within the Moscow area, many with households, in keeping with the Moscow regional governor.

UN report on alleged struggle crimes: The UN on Thursday mentioned in a report that struggle crimes perpetrated by Russia included “assaults on civilians and energy-related infrastructure, wilful killings, illegal confinement, torture, rape and different sexual violence, in addition to illegal transfers and deportations of youngsters.”

So, will Putin truly be arrested?: In all probability not.

Anybody accused of against the law within the jurisdiction of the courtroom, which incorporates nations which might be members of the ICC, may be tried. The courtroom tries individuals, not nations, and focuses on those that maintain probably the most accountability: leaders and officers. Whereas Ukraine just isn’t a member of the courtroom, it has beforehand accepted its jurisdiction.

The ICC doesn’t conduct trials in absentia, so Putin would both must be handed over by Russia or arrested exterior of Russia. That appears unlikely.

CNN’s editorial analysis division contributed to this put up.