Putin’s Mongolian Welcome: A Defiant Snub to International Arrest Warrant
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Visit to Mongolia Sparks Controversy
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Mongolia on Monday, his first visit to a member state of the International Criminal Court since it issued an arrest warrant against him.
The Associated Press reported that Mongolia is hosting a reception for the Russian president despite an international arrest warrant against him.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tykhi considered Mongolia’s failure to arrest Putin a “big blow” to the legitimacy of the International Criminal Court.
Tykhi stated that Kiev would “press to punish” the impoverished Asian country for allowing a convicted criminal to evade justice.
The International Criminal Court’s spokesman, Fadi al-Abdullah, emphasized that Mongolia has a duty to cooperate with the court as a signatory to the Rome Statute.
International Criminal Court’s Arrest Warrants
The International Criminal Court has issued two arrest warrants against Russian officials, including former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian General Valery Gerasimov.
The warrants were issued for alleged crimes during the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
NGOs, including Amnesty International Mongolia, have supported the call for Putin’s arrest, insisting that the country must take action as a signatory to the Rome Statute.
Maria Elena Vinoli of Human Rights Watch previously stated that welcoming the Russian leader would be “an insult to the many victims of crimes by Russian forces” in Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March last year, accusing him of war crimes for illegally expelling hundreds of children from Ukraine.
The Kremlin has rejected the allegations, saying they are “politically motivated.”
International Support for the International Criminal Court
A group of 93 countries have declared their support for the International Criminal Court, stressing the need to establish this international judicial body “without fear.”
The statement emphasizes the importance of the court’s work in prosecuting crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.
The arrest warrant obliges the court’s member states, including Mongolia, to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he steps foot on their territory.
The International Criminal Court was established in 2002 under the Rome Statute, a 1998 treaty to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.
David Schiffer, former US ambassador and chief negotiator of the law establishing the International Criminal Court, said that “Putin is unlikely to be arrested in Mongolia.”
Schiffer added that Mongolia could risk trade relations and development aid, as well as diplomatic sanctions with other members of the International Criminal Court, if it accepts Putin without arresting him.