EU on Medvedev's "missile threats" to International Criminal Court

The European Union expressed its full support to the International Criminal Court (ICC) after threats by the Russian Security Council deputy head, Dmitry Medvedev, to hit the courthouse in The Hague with a hypersonic missile.

Source: The corresponding statement by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on Thursday, 23 March 

Borrell said that the EU condemns the illegal threat of a high-ranking representative of Russia to use force against the International Criminal Court and the country where it is located – the Netherlands.

The name of the Russian official is not specified in the statement, but it is obviously Medvedev. On 20 March, he wrote in his Telegram channel that "it is quite possible to imagine a point application of the hypersonic Onyx from the North Sea from a Russian ship on the Hague courthouse".

On 17 March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, finding him guilty of illegal deportation of thousands of children from Ukraine.

In his statement, Borrell also condemned the measures against the ICC prosecutor and his judges announced by Russia. The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case against them for the "illegal prosecution of the obviously innocent" President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

"The EU reaffirms its full support for the ICC. Any retaliatory measure against those involved in the work of the ICC is unacceptable. In leading the fight against impunity, the ICC must be able to work independently and impartially," Borrell emphasised. 

Borrell added that the EU remains committed to defending the Court from any outside interference aimed at obstructing the course of justice and undermining the international system of criminal justice. 

The EU will continue to advocate for the universality of the Rome Statute and invite all States that have not yet done so to consider joining the ICC to end impunity for the most serious crimes.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court itself called Medvedev's threats and the case opened by Russia's Investigative Committee an attempt to hinder efforts to prosecute for actions prohibited by international law.

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