Mongolia defies ICC by refusing to arrest Putin during visit
The Pretrial Chamber of the International Criminal Court ruled that Mongolia, a signatory to the international legal instrument adopted in 1998, violated the agreements. The country had the opportunity to arrest Vladimir Putin, accused of crimes against humanity, during the dictator's September visit but ignored the warrant.
25 October 2024 11:48
The violation of the Rome Statute, a law protecting peace and security worldwide, established to punish perpetrators of crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, and crimes of aggression, did not go unnoticed by the International Criminal Court. On Thursday, a verdict was reached on this matter.
The Pretrial Chamber (an advisory chamber) of the ICC found that Mongolia violated the provisions of the law it is a signatory to. Despite the issued warrant, Vladimir Putin was not arrested during his official September visit to the country.
They did not arrest Putin. Mongolia ignored international agreements
According to the issued statement, "In view of the seriousness of Mongolia’s failure to cooperate with the Court," the Court decided to refer the matter to a higher instance. Now, the related documents will be analysed by the Assembly of States, which will decide on further steps.
The Pretrial Chamber emphasises that the ICC plays important roles for the global community. The ruling states that the Court has jurisdiction over the most serious international crimes, including serious violations of key norms of international law.
Mongolia is the first state party to the Rome Statute that Putin visited after the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him in March 2023 for war crimes. The dictator is also accused of the illegal deportation of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.
According to the basic treaty of the Court, Mongolia was obligated to cooperate with the ICC, including making arrests and extradition of suspects entering its territory. However, the treaty includes an exception allowing states to avoid these obligations if their implementation would require violating prior treaty commitments to another state or breaching diplomatic immunity and the property of third states.
Since the arrest warrant was issued, the Russian leader has only visited countries that have not adopted the Rome Statute. However, in September, Putin travelled to Ulaanbaatar, where he met with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.
During the visit, several agreements were signed, including an agreement on cooperation in the supply of petrol products between the Russian Federation and Mongolian governments. Khurelsukh and Putin also participated in a military parade commemorating the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, which occurred between May and September 1939 and was a conflict between Japan and the combined Mongolian and Soviet forces.
