TOP LEGAL EVENTS OF THE WEEK
23/03/2023, 07:45
The top event of this week was the issuance of an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court. This decision is a signal to the world community that Russian leadership will be held accountable under international law, which is a major victory for the global justice system.
The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova. The court believes that the Russian president is likely responsible for the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
Russia's Investigative Committee has brought criminal proceedings against the prosecutors and judges of the International Criminal Court in The Hague (Netherlands) who issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. The IC investigators claim that there is supposedly no any "basis for bringing Putin to criminal responsibility". Additionally, the IC investigators assert that heads of state are allegedly "immune from foreign jurisdiction".
The Chinese government has called on the International Court in The Hague to recognize and respect the immunity of heads of state. This was declared by China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, who spoke in response to the ICC order issued for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The diplomat also called on the Hague Court to "avoid politicization and double standards". China and Russia have not ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC, so they do not recognize its jurisdiction.
The Russian Parliament has adopted a law on the loss of Ukrainian citizenship which affects residents of occupied territories. The document stipulates that Ukrainian citizenship will be terminated from the date of applying to the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating one's unwillingness to remain a citizen of Ukraine for those who already have Russian passports. It is clear that in this way, Russia is trying to legitimize its attempt at the annexation of occupied Ukrainian territories and illegal Passportization of their inhabitants.
