ICC On Path Of 'Self-Destruction' After Decision On Putin's Arrest - Senior Lawmaker

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has chosen the "path of self-destruction" by deciding to issue a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2023) The International Criminal Court (ICC) has chosen the "path of self-destruction" by deciding to issue a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, the ICC, the jurisdiction of which is not recognized by Russia or the United States, issued a warrant for the arrest of Putin and the children's commissioner, citing "unlawful transfer of population (children)" from the zones of hostilities in Ukraine.

"The ICC warrant has no legal basis and consequences. Now the jurisdiction of the ICC is not recognized by Russia, but also by a number of other states, members of the UN Security Council. The ICC has gone on the path of self-destruction by making such an absurd decision," Andrey Klishas, head of the constitutional committee of the Russian Federation Council, wrote on Telegram.

The lawmaker added that Russia could to the same effect issue an arrest warrant for all ICC judges in response.

The ICC's decision is politicized and cannot be taken seriously, Leonid Slutsky, the chairman of the Russian State Duma's international affairs committee, also said.

"Totally political and discrediting (decision of) the ICC. Such accusations are horrific, they do not even fall under the definition of absurdity," Slutsky said.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Twitter that there was no need to "explain where this paper (arrest warrant) should be used," adding a toilet paper emoji at the end of the post.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly stated that Russia is not a party to the ICC and its jurisdiction is not recognized by Moscow so any of its decisions against the country are null from the legal point of view.