Ucrânia urges countries to execute ICC arrest warrants for Russian officials
Ukraine called on states parties to the Rome Statute to arrest Russian officials covered by International Criminal Court warrants and transfer them to the court. Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk also urged broader international support for a Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Pontos principais
- The ICC has issued six arrest warrants for Russian officials.
- Andriy Melnyk called on Rome Statute parties to arrest the individuals named in the warrants and transfer them to the ICC.
- Melnyk said all ICC warrants must be executed.
- Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed an agreement to establish a Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
- Melnyk urged all countries, regardless of Council of Europe membership, to participate in the Special Tribunal.
- The tribunal would supplement the ICC because the court lacks jurisdiction to prosecute Russia for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Por que importa
Executing the ICC warrants would help bring Russian officials accountable for crimes within the court’s jurisdiction. Establishing the Special Tribunal would fill a jurisdictional gap by allowing prosecution of the crime of aggression against Ukraine, while participation by countries outside the Council of Europe could broaden international support for the initiative.
O que aconteceu
Ukraine called on states parties to the Rome Statute to comply with their obligations under the ICC Statute by arresting Russian officials named in International Criminal Court warrants and transferring them to the court. The court has issued six warrants in total. Earlier warrants covered Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova over the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children, as well as Russian military officials Sergei Kobylash, Viktor Sokolov, Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, who are suspected of crimes connected with missile strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
O que dizem as fontes ucranianas
Ukrainian sources focused on two linked steps: enforcing the ICC warrants already issued and creating a separate Special Tribunal. They also stressed the need to involve all countries, regardless of Council of Europe membership, and highlighted the specific categories of crimes being investigated by the ICC.
Contexto
The six ICC warrants arose in cases concerning the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children and alleged crimes connected with missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Russia has deported or forcibly transferred more than 20,000 Ukrainian children. Ukraine and the Council of Europe have signed an agreement to establish a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, while the ICC’s chair has called for continued international support for the court in the face of U.S. sanctions and other pressure.