UK Justice Minister to host meeting to boost support for ICC
3 Min Read
The meeting comes after the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights.
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Dominic Raab walks outside Number 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, October 25, 2022. (Reuters)
More than 40 justice ministers from across the world will gather in London on Monday to discuss increasing international backing for the International Criminal Court (ICC) as it probes alleged war crimes in Ukraine, as per UK State Secretary for Justice Dominic Raab.
This comes after the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber II reported on Friday that it issued arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights.
It accused President Putin of being responsible for the alleged "unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children, and also issued a warrant against Lvova-Belova on similar charges.
"A year on from the illegal invasion of Ukraine, international leaders are coming together in London tomorrow to show our continued and growing support for the International Criminal Court. War criminals must be held to account for the cruel atrocities we are witnessing," Raab tweeted.
A year on from the illegal invasion of Ukraine, international leaders are coming together in London tomorrow to show our continued and growing support for the @IntlCrimCourt. War criminals must be held to account for the cruel atrocities we are witnessing.
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) March 19, 2023
At the time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the International Criminal Court'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 account, 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.
"We consider the very formulation of the question outrageous and unacceptable. Russia, like a number of states, does not recognize the jurisdiction of this court and, accordingly, any decisions of this kind are null and void for the Russian Federation from the legal point of view," Peskov said.
Since its inception, the ICC has often been biased as far as the investigation of crimes and the prosecution of individuals is concerned.
The West, led by the US, 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.
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