EU Country’s Prime Minister Highlights Inconsistency in ICC Warrants for Putin and Netanyahu
Robert Fico stated that those calling for the detention of the Russian president should hold the Israeli leader to the same standards. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that those calling for the detention of Vladimir Putin due to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant should apply the same standards to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is set to visit Poland later this month without facing arrest.
Fico, who recently visited Moscow to discuss the importation of Russian natural gas and Ukraine's decision to halt transit through its territory, indicated that Slovakia would not enforce the ICC warrant if Putin were to visit the country. He predicted this decision would provoke criticism from NGOs and Slovak media.
“I assume that you would shout that, of course, he should be arrested immediately and taken straight to jail,” Fico remarked.
He raised the question of whether similar demands would arise for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also the subject of “the same international arrest warrant as President Putin.”
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russia’s ombudsman for children, Maria Lvova-Belova, in March 2023 in connection with allegations from Kiev regarding the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children during the ongoing conflict. Moscow has defended its actions, asserting that the children were evacuated from perilous areas and were not abducted. Kiev has acknowledged that many children it initially reported as missing were actually with their families in third countries, including Germany.
Last November, the ICC also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, and leaders of Hamas, accusing them of war crimes in Gaza, particularly through the use of starvation as a method of warfare.
Previously, Warsaw suggested that Netanyahu could face arrest if he attended the commemoration of Auschwitz's 80th anniversary later this month. However, assurances have been secured by President Andrzej Duda from Prime Minister Donald Tusk that the government would refrain from executing the ICC warrant in this case.
The Hague-based tribunal prosecutes individuals accused of serious crimes on behalf of the 125 signatories of its founding treaty, the Rome Statute. Notably, the US, Russia, China, and India do not recognize the ICC's authority.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
Fico, who recently visited Moscow to discuss the importation of Russian natural gas and Ukraine's decision to halt transit through its territory, indicated that Slovakia would not enforce the ICC warrant if Putin were to visit the country. He predicted this decision would provoke criticism from NGOs and Slovak media.
“I assume that you would shout that, of course, he should be arrested immediately and taken straight to jail,” Fico remarked.
He raised the question of whether similar demands would arise for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also the subject of “the same international arrest warrant as President Putin.”
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russia’s ombudsman for children, Maria Lvova-Belova, in March 2023 in connection with allegations from Kiev regarding the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children during the ongoing conflict. Moscow has defended its actions, asserting that the children were evacuated from perilous areas and were not abducted. Kiev has acknowledged that many children it initially reported as missing were actually with their families in third countries, including Germany.
Last November, the ICC also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, and leaders of Hamas, accusing them of war crimes in Gaza, particularly through the use of starvation as a method of warfare.
Previously, Warsaw suggested that Netanyahu could face arrest if he attended the commemoration of Auschwitz's 80th anniversary later this month. However, assurances have been secured by President Andrzej Duda from Prime Minister Donald Tusk that the government would refrain from executing the ICC warrant in this case.
The Hague-based tribunal prosecutes individuals accused of serious crimes on behalf of the 125 signatories of its founding treaty, the Rome Statute. Notably, the US, Russia, China, and India do not recognize the ICC's authority.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
