(MENAFN) The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Friday that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, specifically his alleged involvement in the abductions of children from Ukraine. The court stated that Putin "is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation." The ICC also issued a warrant for the arrest of Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, on similar allegations.
The ICC's pre-trial chamber found that there were "reasonable grounds to believe that each suspect bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population and that of unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children." The prosecution, as well as the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, has been gathering evidence from a multitude of country and individual sources over the past year.
This announcement follows reports earlier this week that ICC prosecutor Karim Khan was preparing to seek arrest warrants for individuals involved in the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children and targeting of civilian infrastructure. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, with Russia annexing Crimea and supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced millions of people.
The ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin is likely to escalate tensions between Russia and the international community. Russia has previously criticized the ICC's actions, and it is unlikely that Putin will willingly submit to the court's jurisdiction. The ICC's decision also highlights the ongoing debate over the court's role in prosecuting individuals for war crimes and other atrocities. While some see the ICC as a necessary tool for holding individuals accountable for human rights abuses, others argue that it is ineffective and biased against certain countries.
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