Eight ICC workers, including the previous court president Piotr Hofmanski, got prison sentences ranging from 3.5 to 15 years.
MOSCOW: Russia sentenced senior International Criminal Court (ICC) justices and its chief prosecutor to prison on Friday, in retaliation for the court issuing an arrest request for President Vladimir Putin in connection with the Ukraine conflict.
Prosecutor Karim Khan prosecuted Putin in 2023 with illegally deporting children from Russia’s occupied Ukrainian territory. Moscow replied by starting an investigation against him.
The Moscow City Court ruled that “ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan unlawfully prosecuted Russian citizens in The Hague” and that the ICC “instructed the judges of the chamber to issue patently unlawful arrest warrants.”
Russia is not a member of the ICC, and none of the accused appeared in court.
Khan, 55, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in absentia, while eight ICC staff members, including former court president Piotr Hofmanski, received prison sentences ranging from 3.5 to 15 years.
Khan is now suspended from his duties pending an internal investigation into sexual misconduct charges, which he denies. AFP