2023-03-20 18:05:21

The International Court of Justice in The Hague or

According to news from Russian media, the International Criminal Court in The Hague recently issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Putin on the grounds of "war crimes". The child rights commissioner of the Russian President's Office, Belova, was also charged. It is reported that after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, this is the first time that the court has made substantive action against Russia.

It is worth mentioning that just a few days ago, the United Nations released an investigation report claiming that Russia had committed widespread "war crimes", even "crimes against humanity", in Ukraine. Therefore, it is not surprising that the relevant institutions have raised a challenge against Russia. It is just unexpected that the International Criminal Court in The Hague has targeted a number one figure in Russia as soon as it came up.

Putin was issued an arrest warrant

Countries that are on the opposite side of Russia are naturally happy to see this. President Biden of the United States stood up and said the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin was "legitimate". At the same time, the Ukrainian side also made a prompt response. Ukrainian President Zelensky appreciated the approach of the International Criminal Court, claiming that "this is a historic decision that will lead to historic accountability."

However, despite the seriousness of the court's dealings with the United States and Ukraine, in fact, the insulting effect of this arrest warrant on Russia is far greater than its actual effect. After all, it is completely impossible to arrest Putin. The International Criminal Court in The Hague cannot go to Russia to "enforce the law". It can even be said that the arrest warrant issued by it is a piece of waste paper for Russia.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered the arrest of Putin, and Biden stood up, but the Russian side ignored it: absurd The Russian side opposes a general

After the incident, several senior Russian officials have responded in succession, expressing disdain for the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. "Russia is not a party to the International Criminal Court, so the agency's decision has no significance for Russia," said Zaharova, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry; Kremlin spokesman Peskov said that Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, and any decisions it makes are absurd and invalid for Russia.

In fact, let alone Russia, which does not recognize the court's enforcement power, even the United States and Ukraine, which now support the institution, are not parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. In other words, for the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, the International Criminal Court in The Hague is purely an illegal institution, not to mention the power of law enforcement. Even its own significance of existence has not been recognized by many countries.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered the arrest of Putin, and Biden stood up, but the Russian side ignored it: absurd The Hague International Criminal Court

Moreover, the Hague International Criminal Court's law enforcement standards are not fair. It claims to arrest Putin for "war crimes", but ignores the war crimes committed by the United States. More ironically, the agency once threatened to investigate the "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" committed by the United States in Afghanistan, and as a result, the prosecutor of the court was sanctioned by the United States.

With this lesson in mind, after Biden came to power to lift sanctions, the court no longer dared to mention crimes committed by the United States, which is typically characterized by bullying and fear of coercion. However, the United States has also been on guard against it, and has previously prevented it from suing Russia. It is clear that it has a clear understanding of its own "black history", and is worried that if it sets this precedent and gives it the power to enforce laws against major powers, it may be bitten back in the future.

So why is the US side willing to support the decision of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue an arrest warrant for Putin, despite changing its previous attitude? I'm afraid there are two reasons for this. On the one hand, although the United States dare not recognize the legitimacy of the court, it has been seeking ways to assist it in prosecuting Russia. Biden actually verbally expressed the position of the United States and did not change his denial of the legitimacy of the agency.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered the arrest of Putin, and Biden stood up, but the Russian side ignored it: absurd US Russia confronts

On the other hand, although the Hague International Criminal Court made this radical move, it is likely that the United States was behind the scenes, it is clear that this decision was made by the court itself, making it difficult for Russia to take this opportunity to challenge the United States. Biden may also know that this arrest warrant is purely wasteful for Russia, but it can guide international public opinion and further demonstrate the "justice" of US military assistance to Ukraine.

Ironically, in the Ukrainian battlefield, there have been reports of Ukrainian troops violating international law and maltreating Russian prisoners of war, as well as the fact that the United States and the West have deviated from international obligations and major country responsibilities and continue to provide offensive weapons to Ukraine. However, the International Criminal Court in The Hague is willing to become a tool for the United States to sanction other countries and promote hegemony because it dare not offend the United States and turns a blind eye to these crimes. An international institution that cannot maintain its own fairness is clearly not recognized by major countries.