Hague drafts special tribunal for Putin and top officials of Russia and Belarus

The ICC headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands. Photo: Getty Images

The Hague has prepared a draft of a special tribunal to investigate the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine, which is unofficially called «Putin's tribunal».

This was reported by Deutsche Welle.

This tribunal will deal with the cases of 20 high-ranking officials from Russia and Belarus. As a result, charges may be brought against the political and military leaders of these countries who participated in the planning and preparation of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

These include not only Vladimir Putin, but also Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. However, the court cannot issue an official arrest warrant while these individuals remain in power and have immunity.

According to DW, the United States actually refused to participate in the tribunal after Donald Trump returned to the White House.

As a reminder, in April this year, Hungary withdrew from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The relevant statement was made by the Hungarian Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Gergely Gyasi.

We would also like to remind you that Ukraine became the 125th state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Starting from 1 January 2025, it will have the same rights as other states, i.e. it will become a full member of the Court. In particular, it can participate in elections, propose amendments, etc.