ICC orders Mongolia to arrest Putin

Mongolia should detain Russian President Vladimir Putin, for war crimes committed in the Ukraine war, because it is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a spokesman for the Hague-based body has stated.

Putin is scheduled to visit Russiaโ€™s neighbor on Monday, to mark the 85th anniversary of a major World War II battle. This would theoretically put him at risk of arrest on the ICCโ€™s โ€œwar crimesโ€ warrant, as Ulaanbaatar recognizes the courtโ€™s jurisdiction.

All states that signed the Rome Statute โ€œhave the obligation to cooperate in accordance with Chapter IXโ€, ICC spokesman Fadi el-Abdallah told the BBC on Friday.

The Rome Statute is an international treaty that set up the court, which Mongolia ratified in 2002.

โ€œIn case of non-cooperation, ICC judges may make a finding to that effect and inform the Assembly of States Parties of it. It is then for the Assembly to take any measure it deems appropriate,โ€ el-Abdallah added.

The Rome Statute provides for exemptions when arresting someone would โ€œbreach a treaty obligationโ€ with another country or violate the โ€œdiplomatic immunity of a person or property of a third state”.

Ukraine has also filed an official demand with Mongolia to arrest Putin, according to the government in Kiev.

Moscow โ€œhas no concernsโ€ about the ICC warrant, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Friday, noting that all possible issues concerning Putinโ€™s visit have been โ€œworked out separatelyโ€ in advance.

The ICC issued a warrant for Putinโ€™s arrest in March 2023, accusing the Russian president of โ€œunlawful deportation of population (children)โ€ and โ€œunlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation”.

Moscow has rejected the claims as ridiculous, noting that the evacuation of civilians from combat zones was not a crime. Moreover, neither Russia nor Ukraine is party to the Rome Statute, meaning that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the matter.

Putin is expected to attend a ceremony commemorating the 1939 Battle of Khalkhin Gol. The decisive victory of the Red Army and its Mongolian allies over the Imperial Japanese Army secured the Soviet Unionโ€™s eastern flank until 1945.

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