Arrest Warrant for Vladimir Putin: Mongolia's Slap in the Face Moves ICTY

Trip Vladimir Putin to Mongolia, which he undertook earlier this week, gained wide publicity. The reason? In March last year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader for war crimes in Ukraine. This means that if Putin appears in any country that is a member of the institution – and Mongolia is – that country should execute the order.

However, despite requests from Kiev, Vladimir Putin was not arrestedInstead, in front of the leader of The Kremlin a red carpet was rolled out at the airport. Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, was asked about the issue of failure to execute the order in an interview with the BBC.

Karim Khan stressed that Mongolia will have to explain why it ignored the ICC decision. – The negotiation process at the judicial level is ongoing“The judges can make their recommendations if there is a lack of cooperation, but I don't want to prejudge anything because this issue is currently being resolved between the judges and the Mongolian government,” he said.

About that Mongolia will face the consequences, Tamás Hoffmann from the Institute for Legal Studies also said at the beginning of the week. He emphasized that for not complying with the arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, the country “he will certainly be prosecuted by the ICC for violating his duty to cooperate”He added, however, that there are no foreseen serious consequences for a country violating the agreement, such as imposition of sanctions.

When asked whether he believed that Vladimir Putin would ever stand trial in The Hague, the ICC prosecutor cited the example of the former Yugoslavia. – People laughed when the tribunal tried to obtain an arrest warrant for Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladić, not to mention Slobodan Milosevic (…) but history has shown that people who in the past had great power in their country and region ended up in the dock – he emphasized.

Khan added that if someone does whatever he wants and uses his power unrestrainedly, “his room to maneuver narrows.”

In an interview with the BBC, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said that when he met with the Prosecutor General of Ukraine in 2021, he asked him to investigation into the activities Russia. Karim Khan explained that at the time the institution did not have adequate resources and he himself had a lot on his plate, having recently taken up the position he holds to this day.

Moreover, Khan pointed out that then “he didn't believe that Russia would attack Ukraine”– When they did it, I decided it was obvious and we should start an investigation. I went to the site and when you hear the stories, see the evidence and the destruction, it's easy to apply the full rigors of the law – said the ICC prosecutor.

How did Mongolia explain its failure to comply with the ICC decision? Shortly after the media began to write about the Russian leader's trip, the Mongolian government's spokesman sent a statement to Politico. It stated, among other things, that the country's “hands were tied” when it came to the decision to arrest PutinHe also stressed that Mongolia is in a situation where it is energy dependent, “which makes it difficult to handcuff Putin in accordance with the ICC order.”

Mongolia's move was met with outrage from Kiev, which called it a “gross violation of obligations.” It also expressed regret European Unionwhich stressed that the country being a party Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court did not carry out orders.

It also seems that Mongolia's inaction regarding Putin's arrest has emboldened Moscowas indicated by the statement of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. – Arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court will not be able to limit Russian President Vladimir Putin's contacts with interested countries – he said, quoted by the TASS propaganda agency.

Source: BBC, Politician, Interia