Austria has acknowledged its obligation to comply with the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. This was reported to Ukrinform by the Austrian Justice Ministry, answering the publication’s question whether the country would execute the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, issued earlier by the ICC.
“Austria is party to the Rome Statute. This means that it, like all other contracting parties, is obligated to cooperate with the ICC: arrest warrants issued by the court must be executed, and persons wanted by the court must be arrested,” the statement said. agency in a press release.
Austria’s Justice Ministry pointed out that in 2019, in a case against former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the International Criminal Court ruled that “even heads of state do not enjoy ‘immunity before the Court’.
“No one is above the law, <…> every crime must be thoroughly investigated. There should be no impunity,” the ministry added.Former Minister of Justice of Austria Alma Zadic supported ICC decision to issue an arrest warrant against the President of Russia. “Austria will continue to do everything possible to restore justice for the Ukrainian people,” she said.
ICC arrest warrant for Putin
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova in mid-March. The reason for this court decision was their alleged involvement in the “illegal deportation” of children from Ukraine.
Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, in 2016 the country refused to be a member of the Roman Stout. The Kremlin said it considered the decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin “insignificant” under the law. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry claims that the highest officials of States are immune from the decisions of the International Criminal Court.
Authorities in some countries that recognize the Rome Statute have said they will arrest Putin if he arrives. This, in particular, was spoken by the Minister of Justice of Germany, Marco Buschmann. For its part, Hungary, which has also ratified the Rome Statute, said it would not arrest Putin if he entered the country because the treaty was not incorporated into the Hungarian legal system.
South African authorities, who are involved in the Roman Stout, are unlikely to arrest a state president on an ICC warrant, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. In August 2023, the BRICS summit is to be held in the republic, during which can invite Cheese fries.
