The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor said Mongolia is obligated to arrest visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin as a state party to the court.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for six top Russian officials, including Putin, over suspected war crimes in Ukraine.
Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan spoke with NHK in The Hague on Monday about Putin’s trip to Mongolia. He said state parties to the ICC “know they’re due to cooperate with the court,” and “they’ve signed up to that.”
He added, “We can’t be intimidated or pressurized by anybody to close our eyes to injustice,” and that the court will continue to “pursue the evidence that there’s an active conflict underway in Ukraine.”
With regard to the situation in the Middle East, the ICC prosecutor’s office has sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and others on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Judges are reviewing the warrant requests.
Khan said, “If we are not seen to be applying the same yardstick of the law in all situations, including Palestine and Israel, we will create the conditions for the collapse of the rule of law.”
Khan referred to Japan as the ICC’s biggest financial supporter, and said that Japan’s standing and international respect for its values are what’s needed to protect the court.