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'Good for nothing': Medvedev on ICC's inaction about US crimes in Afganistan, Iraq

The politician stated that "there has occurred a final collapse of the system of international law"

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. The authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC), already close to naught, was "killed" back when the court did nothing to investigate US crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has said.

"The most damning incident, which killed what little authority the court still had, involved the US’ crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. The court turned out to be good for nothing. It failed to do anything," Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel on Monday.

In general, he slammed the "useless" ICC, created on the basis of the Rome Statute, which the largest states failed to join. "Whom has it brought to justice? Three dozen unknown persons," Medvedev noted. "It is in no way equal to the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals created ad hoc. Or even the dubious tribunal for Yugoslavia. That's understandable," he added.

According to Medvedev, a country and its leaders can be put on trial in two cases: "1) When the country itself has become so weak to the point of almost losing its sovereignty and agrees to be tried; 2) When the country has lost a war and surrendered."

"Otherwise, it is impossible. And everyone understands this," he concluded.

The politician stated that "there has occurred a final collapse of the system of international law."

"Let us admit that it was not very effective even before. Especially its international institutions. The League of Nations collapsed, the Soviet Union was contemplating walking out on the UN, and conventions and other international acts are adopted today with great difficulty. There is a complete bias and diktat by a group of Anglo-Saxon countries," he explained.

The main flaw in the system of public international law is its inefficiency, Medvedev said. "Countries do not want to comply with the UN General Assembly’s prejudicial decisions. They veto UN Security Council decisions and leave various UN institutions. The reason is their injustice and the inadmissibility of coercion by a group of sovereign countries against other sovereign states," Medvedev stressed.

"Par in parem non habet imperium. An equal has no power over an equal," he added.

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