As the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes, Russia's parliament speaker advocated banning the court's activities on Saturday.
Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of Putin’s, said that Russian legislation should be amended to prohibit any activity of the ICC in Russia and to punish any who gave “assistance and support” to the ICC.
“It is necessary to work out amendments to legislation prohibiting any activity of the ICC on the territory of our country,” Volodin said in a Telegram post.
Volodin said that the United States had legislated to prevent its citizens ever being tried by the Hague court and that Russia should continue that work.
He said that any assistance or support for the ICC inside Russia, should be punishable under law.
Earlier this month, the ICC issued an arrest request for Putin, accusing him of committing a war crime by forcibly removing hundreds of children from Ukraine. It stated that there are solid reasons to suspect that Putin is personally accountable for crimes.
Putin has been in charge of Russia since the last day of 1999, and Russian officials have warned against any attempt to detain him because doing so would be tantamount to declaring war on the biggest nuclear state in the world.
Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of Putin’s, said that Russian legislation should be amended to prohibit any activity of the ICC in Russia and to punish any who gave “assistance and support” to the ICC.
“It is necessary to work out amendments to legislation prohibiting any activity of the ICC on the territory of our country,” Volodin said in a Telegram post.
Volodin said that the United States had legislated to prevent its citizens ever being tried by the Hague court and that Russia should continue that work.
He said that any assistance or support for the ICC inside Russia, should be punishable under law.
Earlier this month, the ICC issued an arrest request for Putin, accusing him of committing a war crime by forcibly removing hundreds of children from Ukraine. It stated that there are solid reasons to suspect that Putin is personally accountable for crimes.
Putin has been in charge of Russia since the last day of 1999, and Russian officials have warned against any attempt to detain him because doing so would be tantamount to declaring war on the biggest nuclear state in the world.
