Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
What a surprise …
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant.
While not breaking news in itself, the name on the warrant was a global game-changer:
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. The Russian president.
The ICC accused him of responsibility for the forced deportation and illegal transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas.
Russia signed the ICC’s Rome Statute in 2000 but never ratified it, later withdrawing its signature in 2016 after the court described the annexation of Crimea as a “permanent occupation.”
After the warrant was issued, the Kremlin publicly dismissed the court’s authority over the Russian president and other senior officials involved in the war.
And now, Russian lawmakers have taken a new step to protect the Russian president.
The new law
A new legal move in Moscow has reshaped how Russia treats decisions from courts beyond its borders, effectively protecting Putin from ever having to face justice for his crimes in Ukraine.
The change comes as Russia continues to reject external scrutiny of its actions in Ukraine. Officials say the move is about sovereignty, but critics see broader political implications.
According to AFP and Agerpres, the bill was approved swiftly and with little resistance inside the legislature.
Law passed in Duma
On Tuesday, the State Duma adopted the bill in its second and third readings. The legislation bars Russian authorities from enforcing rulings issued by foreign criminal courts.
Under the new provisions, judgments from courts whose jurisdiction Russia does not recognize, or that are not grounded in United Nations Security Council decisions, will have no legal force in the country.
The amendments modify Article 6 of the Federal Constitutional Law governing Russia’s judicial system, formalizing limits on cooperation with international courts.
Escalating legal clash
Despite the ICC warrant, Putin has continued to travel abroad, including to ICC member states such as Mongolia, which did not act on calls to detain him.
Moscow has also taken retaliatory steps. Russian courts sentenced nine ICC judges and prosecutors in absentia to prison terms ranging from 3.5 to 15 years, including Prosecutor Karim Khan.
Authorities accused the ICC officials of pursuing cases against representatives of a foreign state protected by international immunity.
Sources: AFP, Agerpres, ICC
