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The International Criminal Court's warrant for Vladimir Putin's arrest has direct consequences for the Russian president, Amnesty International's deputy director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Denis Krivosheev told The Insider.
“This decision has major consequences. The political ones are immediate, and we're already seeing their effect, including in the form of a global media backlash. This decision is also important as it sets a precedent. People that are reasonably suspected of being involved in war crimes in Ukraine should know that the courtroom is waiting, and they won’t be able to hide behind even the highest of offices. Mr Putin is now on a wanted list. And the legal implication of the ICC's decision is that countries party to the Rome Statute (and beyond) are now obliged to refuse to grant Mr. Putin the protection of [immunity] and instead implement the decision and ensure his arrest within their jurisdictions, should he happen to be there, and hand him over to international criminal law.
Whether something has prevented the issuance of the warrant before, and why it [the decision] was issued recently and only announced now is a question for the ICC, not for us. I dare to suggest that Amnesty International’s lawyers weren’t the only ones who have been scratching their heads over international criminal law in recent months. But these are minor details that should not distract from the main message: the perpetrators of war crimes committed in Ukraine will have to answer, and the ICC's decision in the current situation to start ‘from the top’ is commendable.”
The countries that have ratified the Rome Statute are highlighted in green. Putin will no longer be able to visit them
The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on March 17. Both officials are suspected of organizing the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine.