What is the International Criminal Court, the origin of the arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin?

The Ukrainian president described the announcement as “historic”. Volodymyr Zelensky While former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev likened it to “toilet paper”. Friday, late afternoon, International Criminal Court (CPI) has issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin, allegedly responsible for the “war crime of illegal deportation of population (children) and illegal transfer of population (children) from the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation”. at the origin of this The war in Ukrainewhich has been raging for more than a year now, the master of the Kremlin is now in the crossfire of the highest international criminal court.

A skill that cannot be practiced in all countries of the world

Concretely, this court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, is the only one empowered to try perpetrators of international crimes. Created during the Rome Convention of July 17, 1998 before entering into force on July 1, 2002, it is made up of 123 countries, including France, but cannot exercise its jurisdiction anywhere in the world. The ICC can simply deal with crimes committed by citizens of or on the territory of the states parties, which is not the case with Russia, or States that are not members of the Court but recognize its jurisdiction, which, on the other hand, is the case of Ukraine. States parties are responsible for electing 18 judges, who sit there for nine years.

In detail, the ICC rules on cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or crimes of aggression. In theory, it cannot take the place of the state in the administration of justice but it can intervene where the latter is unable to do so. Thus, arrest warrants can be issued against leaders suspected of committing one or more of the above facts. Lawyer William Jolly, who specializes in law, noted, “An international arrest warrant is an order for the arrest of an individual and for him to be brought before the court that requested that warrant. The immunity traditionally accepted by their country’s heads of state is no more present here.” International Law, in Columns Parisian.

Putin is not risking much in the near future

from the past, Former Serbian warlord Ratko Mladic He was also the subject of an arrest warrant that led him to appear before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Nicknamed the “Butcher of the Balkans”, he was accused of genocide Srebrenica massacre In 1995, he claimed the lives of 8,000 Muslims in Bosnia. The life sentence was confirmed in June 2021. But when it comes to Vladimir Putin, the outcome may be a little different.Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over its territory. Moreover, the international body does not have an executive force capable of enforcing the arrest warrants it issues.

Thus, at present, it is very difficult to imagine bringing the Russian president before international justice in the short term, especially if he does not dare to join a country that is a member of the International Criminal Court. If that were the case, on the other hand, the country in question would be obligated to arrest him.