Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Places ICC Judges on Wanted List Amidst Legal Tensions

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has taken the unusual step of placing Chairman Peter Hofmanski, Deputy Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, and Judge Bertram Schmitt of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on its wanted list, as reported by Mediazona. This development was discovered in the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ database, although the specific details of the criminal cases against these ICC judges remain undisclosed.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs’ website indicates that all three individuals are “wanted under an article of the Criminal Code.” Notably, the nationality of German citizen Schmitt and Polish citizen Hofmanski is mentioned on their respective cards, while the card of Ibáñez Carranza, a native of Peru, indicates “no” in the “nationality” column.

This recent action comes in the wake of the ICC’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this year. The warrant alleges Putin’s involvement in the illegal deportation of children from occupied territories in Ukraine to Russia. The court has cited “reasonable grounds” to believe that Putin bears personal responsibility for these crimes, which are said to have occurred since at least February 24, 2022.

Furthermore, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation, Maria Lvova-Belova, also faces a similar arrest warrant in connection with these allegations. The situation involving the ICC judges adds a layer of complexity to the ongoing international legal developments surrounding these cases.