ICC President on Russia's wanted list: Ministry of Interior

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Sep 2023 15:20
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The Polish national is wanted under an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Piotr Hofmanski, President of the International Criminal Court - undated picture - (ICC website)

Piotr Hofmanski, the president of the International Criminal Court, has been reportedly placed on Russia's wanted list.

"Hofmanski Piotr Jozef, Polish. Wanted under an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation," said a notice in the Russian interior ministry database.

The Ministry did not provide details of the accusations against Hofmanski.

Back in March, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber II announced that it issued arrest warrants against Putin and Lvova-Belova.

It accused President Putin of being responsible for the alleged "unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children.

It also issued a warrant against Lvova-Belova on similar charges.

At the time, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the ICC's decision to "arrest" Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova was legally irrelevant to Russia.

"The decisions of the ICC have no significance for our country, including from a legal point of view," Zakharova wrote on Telegram while noting that Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC and has no obligations under it.

On his part, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov further condemned the decision, saying the formulation of an "arrest warrant" issued against the Russian head of State is unacceptable, that Russia does not recognize ICC jurisdiction, and any of its decisions are null and void from the legal point of view.

Since its inception, the ICC has always been biased as far as the investigation of crimes and the prosecution of individuals is concerned.

The West has orchestrated wars all across the Global South that have caused millions of children to go hungry, malnourished, displaced, and even killed, including in Yemen where the US-led blockade has caused over two million children to suffer from acute malnutrition.

Yet, these issues have never been taken into consideration at the Hague-based ICC.