Putin unlikely to be arrested while in office – US Department of State
Beth Van Schaack, the United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice and US State Department representative, has expressed doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be arrested for crimes in Ukraine while he remains in office as head of state.
Source: Beth Van Schaack in an interview with Babel, as European Pravda reports
Van Schaack repeated her long-standing thesis that the US supports the idea of an internationalised court within the judicial system of Ukraine. Such a court, however, will not be able to overcome Putin's immunity as long as he remains in office. Van Schaack, however, believes that the head of the Russian Federation will not be arrested while he holds the highest office in Russia.
Quote: "It is unlikely that anyone will arrest Putin while he is the head of state. If he ends up in custody of a foreign court, the ICC or the Ukrainian special chamber, it will most likely happen because he will no longer be the head of state," Beth Van Schaack said.
At the same time, she noted that "this does not mean that you cannot start an investigation, prepare indictments against him and other persons in the chain of command."
In response to a question on whether a tribunal that cannot overcome the president's immunity is worth the effort, the representative of the State Department answered in the affirmative.
Quote: "Definitely worth it. There are many other high-ranking officials in Russia who are responsible for the war in Ukraine. They hold senior management positions, make decisions and direct actions that are Russian aggression. These people must answer for the crime of aggression, for all war crimes and atrocities. Therefore, a special indictment chamber still makes sense," Van Schaack said.
At the same time, Van Schaack stressed that Ukraine should continue its investigation against Putin while he is in power, and should be ready for quick action if political transformations begin in Russia and he loses his position and immunity.
In July, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite confirmed that the United States supports an international tribunal that is based on Ukrainian law "but includes concepts of international law".
Earlier, in an interview with European Pravda, Anton Korynevych, ambassador on special assignment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the decision on how a tribunal on Russia’s crime of aggression will look like is yet to be made.
Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
