An indictment doesn’t necessarily lead to an early trial, but the Russian leader should still be suffering sleepless nights, says Steve Crawshaw, former Russia editor at the Independent
An indictment doesn’t necessarily lead to an early trial, but the Russian leader should still be suffering sleepless nightsarrest warrant for Vladimir Putin
This is the first ICC warrant to be issued in relation to the Ukraine war – with more to come, we can reasonably assume. The charges are narrowly framed, stating that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Putin and his children’s commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, are responsible for thefrom occupied Ukraine into Russia. The court has planted its flag at the highest level, with obvious impact.
That has implications, not least for the upcoming summit of Brics countries , to be held in South Africa in August. Any country that has ratified the ICC’s founding charter, the Rome statute, is obliged to arrest an indictee if he comes within that country’s jurisdiction. South Africa, this year’s Brics host, is a founding member of the ICC. In short: game on.
Eight years on, the situation is different. Putin’s visit would take place under a brighter global spotlight than Bashir’s brief attendance at the AU summit. This week, South Africa said it “knows its legal obligations”, which sounds very much as if it doesn’t want to provoke a Bashir-level drama again. The message will presumably be heard that way in the Kremlin.
An indictment doesn’t necessarily lead to an early trial, of course. But circumstances change, as others have discovered, from the Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić to the Chadian dictatorThe closest parallel, for Putin and prosecutors alike, is Slobodan Milosevic, the Serb leaderin The Hague in 1999. Milosevic told his people – in an argument which Putin will perhaps echo – that the indictment was not because of his crimes but because he had stood up for his country’s dignity.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Legacy president faces 16 harassment complaints, denies allegation of gropingSteve Hopwood has denied any inappropriate conduct or touching, despite 15 of 16 claims against him being substantiated, according to the charity’s CEO.
Read more »
Matt Kean has ‘gone so far left’ people ‘feel betrayed’NSW One Nation Candidate Steve Busch discusses NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean Matt Kean’s performance during the NSW state election as he faces a 16 per cent primary swing vote against him in his safe seat of Hornsby. “They’re not liking Matt Kean; they feel betrayed, a politician that they’ve elected into a conservative government or what they consider a conservative government,” Mr Busch told Sky News host Paul Murray. “He’s just gone so far left that we really don’t know what he’s going to go next. “Is he going to glue himself to the road?”
Read more »
Radio Aryan host on trial over ‘racist and antisemitic’ podcastsJames Allchurch is charged with 15 counts of distributing audio material to stir up racial hate
Read more »
Gwyneth Paltrow trial begins as actor accused of ‘out of control’ ski crashRetired optometrist sues actor for $300,000 in case that has lasted years following 2016 accident at upscale Deer Valley Resort
Read more »
Jury in trial of former principal Malka Leifer retires to reach verdict on sex abuse allegationsThe jury will consider the evidence presented during the six-week trial, with 27 allegations levelled against the former principal by sisters who attended her school.
Read more »
Jury retires to consider their verdict in Malka Leifer sex abuse trialA jury has retired to consider their verdict in the high-profile case of Malka Leifer, the former ultra-Orthodox school principal accused of sexually abusing three former students in Melbourne in the early to mid-2000s.
Read more »