Russian President Vladimir Putin begins his official tour to Mongolia, defying the war crimes arrest warrant.
According to Al Jazeera, Putin was welcomed in the Mongolian capital on Tuesday, September 3, with a guard of honour, where he will meet President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.
The Russian president walked up the red carpet along with Ukhnaa and bowed before the statue of Genghis Khan before entering the government palace.
International Criminal Crimes (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Putin for the war crimes in Ukraine and the deportation of children to Russia.
Mongolia is a member of the ICC, but it has ignored the arrest orders and warmly welcomed him on his first visit to the country in five years.
Moreover, a small group of protestors gathered against the Russian president’s visit a day before his visit. Demonstrators were holding signs demanding, “Get War Criminal Putin out of here.”
Altantuya Batdorj, executive director of Amnesty International Mongolia, said in a statement on Monday, “President Putin is a fugitive from justice.”
He further added, “Any trip to an ICC member state that does not end in arrest will encourage President Putin’s current course of action and must be seen as part of a strategic effort to undermine the ICC’s work.”
Furthermore, when the ICC issues an arrest warrant against any person, all the members of the court are bound to arrest the suspect. However, the court could force any member to do so.
