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Mongolia should deny entry to Russian President Vladimir Putin or arrest him if he enters the country. Kremlin Announce At the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhna Khurelsukh, Putin plans to visit Mongolia on September 3, 2024 to attend military anniversary commemorations.
President Putin has wanted Since March 17, 2023, judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued arrest warrants for him and the Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing him of War crimes Illegal deportation and illegal transfer of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia.
“If Mongolia allows Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit without arresting him, then Mongolia will be violating its international obligations as a member of the International Criminal Court,” he said. Maria Elena VignoliSenior international justice adviser at Human Rights Watch. “Welcoming Putin as an ICC fugitive is not only an insult to the many victims of Russian military crimes, it also undermines the key principle that no one, no matter how powerful, is above the law.”
Mongolia became a member of the ICC in 2003. Under the court’s founding treaty, Mongolia is obliged to cooperate with the court, including arresting and handing over any suspects who enter its territory. Without its own police force, the ICC must rely on states and the international community to help arrest suspects.
If Putin visits Mongolia, it would be the first time he has been welcomed by an ICC member state since the court issued an arrest warrant for him. In August 2023, Putin is expected to attend the annual BRICS leaders’ summit (a group of countries that includes South Africa and Russia) in Johannesburg, but His visit was eventually cancelledthe following Civil society pressure and a South African court The ruling reaffirmed South Africa’s obligation to execute the ICC’s arrest warrant against him.
Human Rights Watch said all ICC member states should follow South Africa’s lead and fulfill their obligations under the court’s treaty.
Allowing Putin to visit would also mean a reversal of Mongolia’s support for the ICC. On June 15, Mongolia joined 94 ICC member states in a statement statement In light of the growing threats facing the ICC and its officials, they expressed their “unwavering support” for the court. The statement also called on all member states to “ensure full cooperation with the court so that it can fulfil its important responsibilities to ensure that all Crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression, and other serious crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world.”
In 2023, Mongolia also nominated one of its Supreme Court judges, Erdenebalsuren Damdin, to join the International Criminal Court. Elected Became the first Mongolian judge of the International Criminal Court.
and mandatory Deportation Ukrainian civilians, including children, are being held hostage by Russia, and Human Rights Watch has documented numerous violations by Russian forces since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that should be investigated as potential war crimes. These include unlawful attacks civilian and Civil infrastructure; indiscriminate attacks, including the widespread use of prohibited weapons such as cluster munitions; and arbitrary detention, Tortureand Summary execution Civilians and Ukrainian soldiers trying to surrender.
The court’s investigation so far Yield arrest Warrants The six were charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“South Africa faced the same choice Mongolia faced last year when Putin was scheduled to attend the BRICS summit in South Africa, but South Africa explicitly acknowledged its obligation to arrest Putin, so he ultimately stayed in the country,” Vignoli said. “Mongolian authorities now have the opportunity to concretely demonstrate their determination to bring justice to international crimes by denying him entry or arresting him if he enters the country.”
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