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Articles on International Criminal Court

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A woman wrapped in the Ukrainian flag shouts through a megaphone during a demonstration in front of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, in March 2022. (AP Photo/Phil Nijhuis)

Why the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Putin has symbolic importance

The International Criminal Court’s charges against Vladimir Putin are likely to have a minimal impact on him, but it does signal that wartime atrocities have consequences — and the world is watching.
Thousands of teddy bears with candles on display at a protest in Brussels in February 2023 represented abducted Ukrainian children. Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Prosecuting Putin for abducting Ukrainian children will require a high bar of evidence – and won’t guarantee the children can come back home

The International Criminal Court issued its first arrest warrants for Russians allegedly responsible for war crimes in Ukraine.
Local residents help exhume the body of a 16-year-old Ukrainian girl, killed by Russian forces, in Kherson, Ukraine in November 2022. Chris McGrath/Getty Images

EU plans to set up a new court to prosecute Russia’s war on Ukraine – but there’s a mixed record on holding leaders like Putin accountable for waging wars

Prosecuting a leader like Vladimir Putin accused of war crimes is difficult. But the trial of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in the early 2000s offers a potential playbook.
A Ukrainian war crimes investigator photographs the aftermath of a Russian missile attack in Zatoka, Ukraine, on July 26, 2022. Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Proving war crimes isn’t simple – a forensics expert explains what’s involved with documenting human rights violations during conflicts, from Afghanistan to Ukraine

Other recent conflicts that resulted in war crimes allegations help explain how complex it will be to gather evidence of war crimes in Ukraine – and provide answers for families of victims of the war.
Grain warehouse destroyed by Russian attacks in Kopyliv, Kyiv province, Ukraine, May 28, 2022. Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Starving civilians is an ancient military tactic, but today it’s a war crime in Ukraine, Yemen, Tigray and elsewhere

Countries have used starvation as a war strategy for centuries, historically without being prosecuted. Three experts on hunger and humanitarian relief call for holding perpetrators accountable.
A sign reading ‘Putin, murderer’ is shown during a protest in Krakow, Poland, on May 8, 2022. Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

International courts prosecuting leaders like Putin for war crimes have a mixed record – but offer clues on how to get a conviction

Prosecuting a leader like Vladimir Putin accused of war crimes is difficult. But the trial of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in the early 2000s offers a potential playbook.
There have been calls to charge and prosecute Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine. Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Putin could be charged with the crime of aggression for the Ukraine war – but it’s an expensive process with high stakes

Countries would likely need to set up new courts to prosecute Vladimir Putin for illegally invading Ukraine – but this isn’t a sure bet he would ever be held accountable for his crimes.
Vladimir Putin celebrated Russia’s annexation of Crimea on March 18, 2022, the eighth anniversary of the move. Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Calling Putin a ‘war criminal’ could spark even more atrocities in Ukraine

None of the available methods for holding Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable are likely to actually punish him, and they may even make new atrocities more likely.

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