Moscow Court Convicts ICC Prosecutor and Judges for Indicting Putin Over War Crimes

A court in Moscow has delivered in absentia rulings against the chief prosecutor and eight judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after they indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, authorities announced on Friday.

In March 2023, the ICC, based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, charging them with the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. The Russian government dismissed the warrant as «invalid» and initiated a criminal investigation against ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan and the judges involved.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia stated that the Moscow City Court determined that the nine ICC officials were guilty of prosecuting innocent individuals, unlawful detention, and attempts to exert violence against individuals with international protection.

According to the prosecutor’s office, «The court concluded that ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan improperly initiated criminal proceedings against Russian citizens from February to March 2022 in The Hague.»

It further stated, «The ICC Presidency, lacking any legal basis, directed the judges of the chamber to knowingly issue unlawful arrest warrants for these individuals,» without specifically naming Putin or Lvova-Belova.

The court sentenced Khan to 15 years in prison, contingent on his extradition to Russia.

The sentences for the eight judges varied from three and a half years to 15 years.

The Investigative Committee of Russia, which launched the case, identified the judges as former ICC President Petr Józef Hofmański and his successor Tomoko Akane, along with First Vice-President Rosario Salvatore Aitala, Second Vice-President Reine Alapini-Gansou, and judges Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godínez, Haikel Ben Mahfoud, Carranza Luz del Carmen Ibáñez, and Bertram Schmitt.

All nine individuals are now listed on an international wanted list.