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Russia is concerned about Germany’s readiness to arrest President Vladimir Putin for submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Photo/REUTERS
MOSCOW – Berlin declared its readiness to arrest the President of Russia Vladimir Putin when entering German territory. Moscow said Berlin’s position was of extreme concern.
Germany, which is a member of NATO, feels obligated to carry out an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague directed against the Kremlin leader on suspicion of war crimes in Ukraine.
The Hague-based court accused the Russian president of carrying out the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children, acts recognized as war crimes under international law.
Germany’s stance was conveyed by Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann, as quoted by Bild.
“I hope the ICC will soon turn to Interpol and member states and ask them to ensure compliance,” he said.
“Germany will be forced to arrest Putin and hand him over to the ICC if he enters German territory,” Bushmann continued.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it would examine claims made by Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, who stated that Berlin would enforce an ICC arrest warrant for President Putin if he entered Germany.
In a statement on Sunday, the committee said its chairman, Aleksandr Bastrykin, issued instructions: “To provide the necessary legal assessment of the statement by the German minister of Justice regarding the arrest of a Russian citizen.”
Bastrykin described the ICC’s prosecution as an illegal decision.
Russian Ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechayev, as quoted by Russia Today, Monday (20/3/2023), said Berlin’s position on the ICC warrant raises extreme concerns and serves as further evidence of Germany’s desire for escalation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the ICC is not recognized in Russia, which means the warrant is null and void from a legal point of view.
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