An international court has formally reprimanded Mongolia for failing to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin during his recent visit, despite having an outstanding warrant for his arrest on multiple war crimes charges.
Mongolia’s lack of action against the Russian president was met with backlash in September after he visited the country.
The trip was Putin’s first to an International Criminal Court (ICC) member state since having a warrant issued for his arrest him in March 2023 for the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukranian children during an ongoing war.
During that visit, Putin was welcomed with ceremonial honors, disregarding the ICC’s requests to have him arrested.
This led the court to refer the incident to its Assembly of States Parties for further consideration of Mongolia’s compliance with international obligations.
“States Parties and those accepting the Court’s jurisdiction are duty-bound to arrest and surrender individuals subject to ICC warrants, regardless of official position or nationality,” the court said, as reported by AP News.
While Russia has dismissed the warrant, the Assembly is scheduled to meet in December to discuss potential actions against Mongolia.
Prior to the visit, Ukraine called on Mongolia to surrender Putin to the court in The Hague, while the European Union voiced concerns that Mongolia might fail to carry out the warrant.
“In view of the seriousness of Mongolia’s failure to cooperate with the Court, the Chamber deemed it necessary to refer the matter to the Assembly of States Parties,” the court said, in reference to the oversight body that will convene in December at The Hague.
The next steps for the assembly are uncertain at this point. While Putin was in Mongolia, a court ruled that the organization, consisting of all 124 member states, has the authority to “take any measure it deems appropriate.”
Originally published by Latin Times
