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Vladimir Putin fit dey arrested for war crimes?

Russia President Vladimir Putin

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 Source: BBC

South Africa goment dey try decide weda to invite Russia President Vladimir Putin to attend one conference for August, afta International Criminal Court (ICC) sama arrest warrant against am.

Questions dey around weda ICC warrant get any real force, and weda any kontri goment fit really arrest Putin.

Wetin dem accuse President Putin of?

Di ICC bin issue arrest warrant on 17 March against President Putin and Russia commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.

E allege say dem both dey personally responsible for di unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia, following Russia invasion for February 2022.

E also accuse Putin say im fail to use im presidential powers to stop di deportation of di children.

According to Ukraine National Information Bureau, Russia forcefully carry 16,221 children go Russia.

ICC don take up dis case becos Ukraine give am right or jurisdiction to investigate war crimes wey dem commit on im territory.

Dis na di first time di court dey issue warrant against one of di leaders of di five permanent members of di UN Security Council.

Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelensky, call di ICC's move "historic decision, from wia historical responsibility go begin."

Wetin be di International Criminal Court?

Wit base for Di Hague for di Netherlands, ICC dey investigate and prosecute pipo wey dem accuse of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Na di Rome Statute of 1998 set am up and began e begin work for 2002.

E get annual budget of £130m to spend on investigations, don deal wit 40 cases, and don sent 10 pipo go prison.

ICC currently get 123 member kontris as signatories, wey accept im authority.

However, Russia be signatory. US and China too no be signatories.

ICC fit arrest Putin?

ICC no get power to arrest suspects.

Di court president, Piotr Hofmanski, don tok say e dey up to di international community to arrest Putin.

Since Putin political power for Russia currently dey unchallenged, and since Russia never signed up to di ICC, e no possible to arrest am for im own kontri.

Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova don dismiss di arrest warrants against Putin and Lvova-Belova as "meaningless" and say dem dey "null and void".

However, ICC prosecutor Khalid Khan tell BBC say di two no get immunity from prosecution for alleged war crimes simply because Russia no recognise ICC.

"All states get obligations to obey international law," im tok.

Kontris fit do di arrests?

Putin dey due to visit South Africa for August for one conference of di Brics nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

South Africa na ICC signatory and im goment no sure weda make e do di arrest against Putin or weda e fit to treat am as welcome guest.

"South Africa go look at di existing provisions of our legislation," im foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, tok.

However, she also accuse di ICC of double-standards, say: "E get many kontris and leaders wey don practice very serious abuse for situations of conflicts, but dem go scoot free,"

South Africa and Russia get friendly relations, and dia navies bin conducted drills together for February.

South Africa don ignore ICC arrest warrants before.

Di court bin issue warrants for di arrest of Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan, for crimes against humanity for 2009 and 2010.

Dem dey related to one conflict for Darfur for 2003 wey lead to di deaths of 300,000 pipo.

However, South African authorities refuse to arrest him wen im visit for 2015.

Putin dey due to visit India for one Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit for June 2023 for Varanasi, and a for G20 summit in September.

However, India no sign ICC and e no dey expected to act on di arrest warrants.

Hungary goment wey get friendly relationship wit wit Russia, don say im no go arrest Putin for dia territory even though im na signatory to ICC.

E say to do so go conflict wit im constitution.

Putin don travel to eight kontris since si war for Ukraine start - seven Soviet former republics and Iran. All of them dey friendly to Russia.

E dey extremely unlikely say im go travel go any kontri wia dem go arrest am.

However, di fear say dem fit arrest am fit limit im freedom to travel for future.

Putin actually fit face trial?

Even if dem arrest Putin, several legal obstacles go black am from trail for ICC.

Dem set up di court to try cases on behalf of kontris wey sign wit ICC and wey accept im jurisdiction - and Russia no follow.

And although Ukraine ask ICC to investigate di alleged war crimes by Russia, im no actually be signatory to di ICC imsef (as im no ever ratify im signing of di ICC Rome Statutes).

However, ICC don defend im decision to di arrest warrants, saying Russia war crimes for Ukraine still dey occur and e dey try to to stop more crimes from taking place.

Source: BBC