The International Court of Justice’s comments come after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened to hit the war crimes tribunal with hypersonic missiles.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has expressed concern at Russia’s “threats” following the issuance of a war crimes arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin.
The ICC’s statement of concern on Wednesday came after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened to hit the war crimes court in The Hague with hypersonic missiles. It also followed Russia’s top investigative body, which opened a criminal case against ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, as well as the judges who issued the arrest warrant for Putin.
The Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court said it “deplores these attempts to hamper international efforts to ensure accountability for acts prohibited under general international law.”
The Assembly “also reaffirms its unwavering support for the International Criminal Court,” the Presidency said.
“The International Criminal Court embodies our shared commitment to fighting impunity for the most serious international crimes. As the final instance, the Court of Justice complements the national jurisdictions. We call on all states to respect their judicial and prosecutorial independence,” she added.
Medvedev said on Monday: “One can well imagine that a hypersonic missile would be fired from the North Sea by a Russian ship at the courthouse in The Hague.”
He added, “Everyone goes under God and shoots… Look up at the sky…”
The International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Putin, issued on Friday, accuses the Russian leader of unlawfully deporting thousands of Ukrainian children, a war crime.
The legal move will oblige the court’s 123 member states to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he enters their territory.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the International Criminal Court, although Kiev has given the court jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed on its territory. The tribunal also has no police force of its own and relies on the member states to make arrests.
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, on similar charges.
Moscow dismissed the orders as “null and void,” and Russia’s top investigative committee said there was no ground for criminal liability on Putin’s part. It also said that heads of state enjoy absolute immunity under a 1973 United Nations convention.
The committee said the ICC prosecutor’s actions in issuing the warrants showed evidence that they were crimes under Russian law, including knowingly accusing an innocent person of a crime.
Ukraine, which says more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia since the February 24, 2022 invasion, has called the ICC arrest warrant a “historic decision” that will lead to “historic accountability.”
Its Western allies, including the United States and the European Union, have also welcomed the court’s move.
Although the US is not a party to the ICC, President Joe Biden said on Friday that Putin clearly committed war crimes, adding that the ICC arrest warrant was justified.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has now called on all members of the ICC to comply with the arrest warrant.
“I think anyone who is a party to the court and has obligations should fulfill their obligations,” Blinken said Wednesday when asked by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham at a Senate Budget Committee hearing if he would encourage European allies to “exhibit” Putin. .