Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Sunday it has charged in absentia the prosecutor and judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) who issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s rights ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova.
"The Russian Investigative Committee has charged a prosecutor and a judge of the International Criminal Court in absentia … The investigation has now collected sufficient evidence to warrant the indictment in absentia of International Criminal Court prosecutor Khan Karim Asad Ahmad and International Criminal Court judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala," the investigative authority said, adding that the accused have been put on the wanted list.
The Russian Investigative Committee earlier initiated a criminal case against prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Ahmad Khan, judges of the International Criminal Court Tomoko Akane, Rosario Salvatore Aitala, and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez. "By now, investigations have collected enough evidence to charge in absentia prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Khan Karim Assad Ahmad and judge of the International Criminal Court Rosario Salvatore Aitala," the Committee said.
The charges against the prosecutor include bringing criminal proceedings against a person known to be innocent, combined with unlawfully charging a person with a particularly serious offense. The judge faces charges of knowingly unlawful remand in custody. Both have been accused of preparing to attack a representative of a foreign state enjoying international protection, with the aim of complicating international relations.
The ICC prosecutor is charged under part 2 of article 299, part 1 of article 30, and part of article 360 of the Russian Criminal Court (criminal prosecution of a person known to be innocent, as well as preparation for an attack on a representative of a foreign state enjoying international protection in order to complicate international relations).
The judge is harged under part 2 of auricle 301, part 1 of article 30, and part 2 of article 360 of the Russian Criminal Court (knowingly illegal detention and preparation for an attack on a representative of a foreign state enjoying international protection in order to complicate international relations).
Both have been put on a wanted list.
On March 17, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova. The ICC statement said they could be liable "for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."
On March 20, Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against the ICC prosecutor and judges, saying that their actions are unlawful as there were no grounds to bring the Russian president and children’s rights ombudswoman to criminal liability.
Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons of December 14, 1973, heads of state enjoy absolute immunity from foreign states’ jurisdiction.
"As previously noted, criminal prosecution is knowingly unlawful as there are no grounds for criminal liability. Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons of 14 December 1973, heads of state enjoy absolute immunity from the jurisdiction of foreign states," the Russian Investigative Committee said.
On February 22, Prosecutor Khan applied to Pre-Trial Chamber II of the ICC to obtain an arrest warrant for Russian nationals, the investigative authority said. ICC judges Aitala, Tomoko Akane, and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, which Moscow has slammed as unlawful.
Military court in Rostov-on-Don to hear first two criminal cases of Azov fighters
Two criminal cases involving a total of 33 people, including members of the Azov nationalist battalion (outlawed in Russia and recognized as a terrorist organization) and the SS Bears group, have been filed with the southern district military court, a source told TASS on Sunday.
"The first case concerns a group of 24 members of the Azov nationalist battalion, while the second case involves nine people - members of the SS Bears Nazi sabotage and assault group," the source said.
All 33 members of the nationalist battalion were charged under the articles of the Criminal Code of the Donetsk People's Republic, according to the published materials of the case.
Thus, the commander and members of the SS Bears group were previously charged with actions aimed at the violent seizure of power in the DPR, participation in an illegal armed formation and training for the commission of the abovementioned crimes. According to the case materials, each of them is now charged with article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code (forcible seizure of power), part 2 of article 208 (participation in an illegal armed formation) and article 205.3 (training for the purpose of terrorist activities).
The 24 members of the Azov nationalist battalion face similar charges.
According to the DPR Prosecutor's Office, more than 100 people were victims of these individuals. All the defendants cooperated with the investigation and gave detailed testimony.
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