ICC, Ukraine Call on Mongolia to Arrest Vladimir Putin
Dr. Fadi el-Abdallah, an International Criminal Court (ICC) spokesperson, told the BBC on Friday that Mongolia — an ICC member — is obligated to arrest Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes when he enters its territory next week....
Facts
- Dr. Fadi el-Abdallah, an International Criminal Court (ICC) spokesperson, told the BBC on Friday that Mongolia — an ICC member — is obligated to arrest Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes when he enters its territory next week.[1]
- Under the Rome Statute, ICC members must 'cooperate in accordance with Chapter IX' and detain suspects for whom an arrest warrant has been issued. The Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant for Putin last March for alleged illegal transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.[2]
- Dr. Fadi said failure to comply with ICC regulations will prompt the court to report the matter to the Assembly of States Parties, which he said can 'take any measure it deems appropriate.' Mongolian Pres. Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh has invited Putin for the 85th anniversary of the Battles of Khalkhin Gol.[3]
- After the Kremlin said there were 'no worries' over the visit, Ukraine's foreign ministry called on the Mongolian government to execute the 'binding international arrest warrant.' Moscow doesn't recognize the ICC's jurisdiction and has previously labeled the warrant as 'outrageous and unacceptable.'[4][5]
- Meanwhile, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired his Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk a day after he publicly clashed with a lawmaker over an F-16 fighter jet crash — which killed its pilot — during a massive Russian aerial attack on Monday.[6][7]
- On the battlefield, Ukraine said a Russian air strike on Kharkiv killed at least seven people, including a 14-year-old girl, and injured 97 others. According to Russian officials, a Ukrainian missile attack, allegedly carried out with cluster munitions, killed at least five people and wounded 37 in Belgorod.[8][9][10]
Sources: [1]BBC News (a), [2]Almayadeen, [3]The Kyiv Independent, [4]Al Jazeera, [5]Reuters, [6]Ukrainska Pravda, [7]BBC News (b), [8]UKRINFORM, [9]TASS (a) and [10]TASS (b).
Narratives
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by RT. Mongolia may be an ICC member, but neither Russia nor Ukraine is party to the Rome Statute, meaning that the ICC's arrest warrant against Putin is legally null and void because the court has no jurisdiction in the matter. Moreover, the arrest warrant was issued against Putin to put pressure on Russia as the evacuation of civilians from combat zones isn't a crime. The ICC, a puppet of the collective West, must refrain from interfering in sovereign countries' internal matters.
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by France 24. The ICC has no police of its own, no enforcement mechanism, and can only exercise jurisdiction within its member countries. The lack of powers allows war criminals like Putin to thumb their noses at the court and travel the world with impunity. Putin's visit to Mongolia, despite the court's order for his arrest, is a significant display of Russia and Mongolia's defiance. There's an urgent need for the ICC to show some teeth and spine and finally hold Putin accountable.
