Moscow Court Convicts ICC Prosecutor and Judges of War Crimes Related to Putins Arrest Warrant

A Moscow court has issued absentia verdicts against the chief prosecutor and eight judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to their indictments of Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, authorities reported on Friday.

In March 2023, the ICC, located in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the commissioner for children’s rights, alleging their involvement in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children. Russia has rejected this warrant, labeling it as «void,» and has launched a criminal case against ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan and the court’s judges.

According to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, the Moscow City Court found the nine ICC officials guilty of prosecuting innocent individuals, unlawful detention, and attempts to commit violence against those entitled to international protection.

The prosecutor’s office stated, “The court determined that ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan unlawfully initiated criminal proceedings against Russian nationals between February and March 2022 in The Hague.” It further asserted, “The ICC Presidency, lacking any legal basis, directed the judges to issue knowingly unlawful arrest warrants for these individuals,” without specifying Putin or Lvova-Belova.

Khan was sentenced to 15 years in prison, pending his extradition to Russia. The eight judges received sentences ranging from three and a half to 15 years.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, which initiated this 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 have been added to an international wanted list.