The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Does the issuance of this arrest warrant mean that he will soon be arrested and brought to court in The Hague? The answer is probably no. But even if he is not arrested, Putin’s travel to most countries outside of Russia will be restricted.
According to Reuters analysis, 123 member states of the ICC are obliged to detain and transfer Putin if he steps into their territory. Russia is not a member of the ICC. Besides, the powerful China, USA or India are not members of this court. As such, Putin cannot be detained even if he is present at the summit of the G-20 group of leaders to be held in India at the end of this year.
The world’s permanent war crimes court was created in the Rome Statute. In addition to all the countries of the European Union, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland, 33 countries in Africa and 19 countries in the South Pacific are members of this court. Russia signed the Rome Statute in 2000. The ICC classified Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula as an armed conflict following Russia’s annexation. In view of this, in 2016, Russia rejected the ICC membership.
“Putin is not stupid,” said Iva Vukusic, assistant professor of history at Utrecht University. He is not going to travel to any country where he can be arrested.’
