MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. Russia views Armenia’s ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an ill-considered move in terms of bilateral relations, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"We doubt - and we have harbored doubts about this from the very start - that Armenia’s move to join the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is a sound decision in terms of bilateral relations. We still believe that it was an ill-considered decision," he noted.
Peskov highlighted that Armenia is a friendly country and a partner for Russia. "We definitely have a lot in common that ties us to the fraternal Armenian people. We have no doubt that these common ties will link us forever. However, we now of course have some additional questions that we must address to Armenia’s current leadership. They were sent to Armenia earlier," the Kremlin spokesman emphasized.
The Hague-based ICC earlier issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, alleging that they were responsible for "the unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children. Moscow rejected the allegations, saying that Russia did not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction and considered the court’s decision to be legally void.
The Rome Statute
The Rome Statute is an international treaty that established the International Criminal Court. It is also its Charter. The document was adopted at the diplomatic conference in Rome on July 17, 1998 and went into effect on July 1, 2002. It outlines the functions, jurisdiction and structure of the court (which is not part of the UN).
The ICC prosecutes individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and acts of aggression. The amendment on crimes of aggression was passed in December 2017. The ICC exercises jurisdiction only over crimes committed after July 1, 2002 on the territory of a state party and nationals of state parties on the territory of any other country. If a crime is committed in a state that is not a party to the Statute or its nationals are suspected of grave crimes, the UN Security Council can issue a mandate to launch a criminal investigation.
States that are not parties to the ICC and seek to investigate crimes committed on their soil can issue a special statement to recognize the court’s jurisdiction over a crime. The UN Security Council can suspend the court’s work and any arrest warrants it issues. The ICC has jurisdiction only over individuals. The court can sentence a person to 30 years or even life in prison, but is prohibited from imposing the death penalty.