Russia bars enforcement of foreign criminal court rulings

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law preventing the enforcement in Russia of rulings issued by foreign criminal courts and international judicial bodies whose authority is not based on a treaty with Moscow or a resolution of the United Nations Security Council.

The legislation effectively blocks the implementation of decisions by bodies such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

Vladimir Gruzdev, head of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, said that the amendments would apply, among other things, to ICC verdicts.

In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Mr Putin and Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova.

The court accused them of the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia during the war.

Russia is not a member of the ICC and has repeatedly rejected its jurisdiction.

Legal experts say the initiative is closely linked to European Union proposals to set up a special tribunal against Russia over the war in Ukraine, an idea Moscow has rejected as illegitimate.

While the bill would not affect all international courts recognised by Russia, critics warn it could conflict with existing bilateral and multilateral treaties. According to constitutional law experts, the measure may undermine legal cooperation in criminal matters, including the application of the 1993 Convention on Legal Assistance.

By Aghakazim Guliyev