The arrest warrant for Putin is a statement
Comments on “World affairs in Hungary” by F.I. Gulyas and A.G. Al-Bashir – a human rights advocate for the rule of law”
Editor’s Note: Frida Ghitis, (@fridaghitis) a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is an opinion columnist for The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN.
The 123 member states of the International Criminal Court are obliged to arrest Putin when he enters their territories, even if he isn’t in one of them. However, Gulyas claimed on Thursday that the Rome Statue has not been built into the Hungarian legal system, so would not apply.
Three sitting heads of state have been charged with crimes. The other two were the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir, both accused of horrifying crimes against their own people.
The Crimes of Crime against Humanity: Russia’s First Day of World War II and the Cold War Between Hungary and the Kremlin
Russia does not appear to be the same as Libya or Sudan, two poor nations barely out of colonial rule. Russia helped defeat Hitler’s Germany in World War II. It emerged from the world war as a proud nation, with vast natural resources, a highly educated population and a desire to become a democracy. It faced many obstacles, but had a bright future.
After Boris Yeltsin, who appointed Putin, became president more than 20 years ago, Putin tightened his hold on power, opening the way for his brutal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky said that Ukraine has recorded 16,000 individual cases of forcible deportations of children but the full number is probably much higher. Such a criminal operation wouldn’t have been possible without the highest leader of the terrorist state authorizing it, he said.
According to the Chief Prosecutor, the alleged acts demonstrate an intention to permanently remove these children from their own country.
Arrest warrants have been issued for just one part of Russia’s assault on Ukraine. If the evidence supports issuing more arrest warrants, Khan’s office will.
There’s good reason to expect more. Ukrainian officials and several organizations have been painstakingly documenting what they believe are not only war crimes but also crimes against humanity, in the expectation that eventually there will be a reckoning.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the news. He said Friday that the move by the International Criminal Court will lead to historic responsibility.
The Chief of Staff for the Hungarian Prime Minister, Gergely Gulyas, said Thursday that arresting Putin wouldn’t apply to Hungary since it wasn’t a party to the Rome Statute.
They have always been close allies of the Kremlin within the European bloc. Orban was the most reluctant European Union leader to impose sanctions on Russia after Putin ordered troops to invade Ukraine.
Hungary, a member of NATO, objects to the sending of arms to Ukraine. Orban has warned that Europe is “drifting into” the war in Ukraine and has made extensive efforts to block Ukraine from joining NATO. It is also dragging its feet on Sweden’s efforts to join NATO.
How lucky is the decision of the ICC to issue an arrest warrant? Comment on Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov
The stance of the Gulyas is that the decision to issue an arrest warrant is not the most lucky, as it will lead to more escalation and not towards peace.
“Russia, like a number of states, does not recognize the jurisdiction of this court and, accordingly, any decisions of this kind are null and void for the Russian Federation from the point of view of law,” Kremlin spokeperson Dmitry Peskov tweeted shortly after the warrant was issued.
The ICC’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan told CNN last week that “Article 27 of the Rome Statute makes it very clear that the official position of an individual is irrelevant to the jurisdiction of the court. The independent judges of the court have also found it appropriate [to issue the warrant}.”
