Russia/Ukraine: ICC arrest warrant for Putin is 'an impressive first step’ towards justice for victims

Vladimir Putin wanted for alleged involvement in unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia

Second arrest warrant names Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova

‘The international community must stop at nothing until they are arrested and brought to trial’ - Agnès Callamard

Responding to the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants against Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, Agnès Callamard,  Amnesty International's Secretary General, said:

“This announcement is an important signal – both for Ukraine and the rest of the world – that those who are allegedly responsible for crimes under international law in Ukraine will face arrest and trial, no matter how powerful they are.

“President Putin is now officially a wanted man. Following the ICC's indictment of President Putin and Children’s Commissioner Lvova-Belova for the war crime of forcible transfer of children, the international community must stop at nothing until they are arrested and brought to trial.

“Should President Putin or Ms Lvova-Belova leave Russia, states must deny them safe haven by arresting them immediately and surrendering them to the ICC.

“The arrest warrants are an impressive first step, but they are so far limited to the war crime of unlawful deportation of children. This doesn’t reflect the plethora of war crimes and crimes against humanity for which the Russian leadership is potentially responsible. We expect the ICC and other justice actors to issue further arrest warrants as their investigations into crimes under international law committed in Ukraine begin to show results.”

Forcible transfer of Ukrainian civilians

In November 2022, Amnesty published a report which documented forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainian civilians, including children, by Russian forces and their proxies into Russia or deeper into Russian-occupied Ukraine. The organisation found this amounted to war crimes and likely crimes against humanity.

According to a press release from the International Criminal Court, there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that “each suspect bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population” under Article 8 (war crimes) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

As there are currently 123 states parties to the Rome Statute, Putin and Lvova-Belova's arrest warrants are binding in 124 states (123 states parties plus Ukraine, which

granted the ICC jurisdiction over its territory for crimes committed there since 2014).  

UK-hosted Ukraine conference

On Monday, the UK is hosting an international conference with justice ministers to support the ICC investigation into war crimes in Ukraine. Amnesty has urged the UK to ensure that victims’ groups are properly included in the discussions, and that Ukraine is encouraged to ratify the Rome Statute as this would assist cooperation between the court and Ukrainian authorities.