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Russian senior MP wants ICC judges held accountable for decision against Putin

On March 17, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova

MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. Speaker of Russia’s State Duma, or lower parliament house, Vyacheslav Volodin wants International Criminal Court (ICC) judges to be held accountable for their decision against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Volodin, it has become known that the European Union paid the ICC for this decision. "This is corruption, bribery of judges. This matter needs to be probed into. Those who make such decisions should be transferred from Brussels to Lefortovo (a detention facility in Moscow - TASS)," he was quoted as saying on the State Duma’s Telegram channel.

"It is absolutely obvious that their court verdict does not apply to Russia," he stressed, adding that attacks on the head of state are attacks on the entire country.

On March 17, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.

The ICC statement said they could be responsible "for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

Commenting on the decision, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow did not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC. In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the decisions of the ICC had no meaning for Russia whatsoever, while any potential arrest warrants would be legally void.

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