Borrell on arrest warrant for Putin: Important decision for international justice and Ukrainians

(Patria) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin important for international justice.

Borrell stated that this move is just the beginning of holding Russia accountable for crimes in Ukraine.

- This is an important decision for international justice and for Ukrainians - Borrell said, reports Hina.

 

The decision of the @IntlCrimCourt to issue an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for the war crime of unlawful deportation and transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia is the start of the process of accountability. We appreciate & support ICC’s work.

There can be #noimpunity

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 17, 2023

Hundreds of Ukrainian children have been taken from orphanages and children's homes to Russia, said the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, in a report on Friday.

Khan's statement followed the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's children's rights commissioner.

- Many children, we assume, have since been given up for adoption in the Russian Federation - Khan stated.

He emphasizes that a change in Russian law has made it easier for Russian families to adopt these children, while at the time of deportation, Ukrainian children were protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

In his report, Khan called yesterday's arrest warrants the "first concrete step" while other investigations in Ukraine are still ongoing.