Russia launches criminal case against ICC Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan

Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan and ICC judges Tomoko Akane, Rosario Salvatore Aitala, and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godínez.

The agency cites the 1973 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Internationally Protected Persons, which prescribes immunity from prosecution for state leaders. The statement posted by the agency on Telegram outlines the specific charges against ICC members, including “preparations to attack a representative of a foreign country with an aim to complicate international relations.”

The Russian officials are claiming that the ICC warrant is “knowingly unlawful, since there are no grounds for criminal charges” against either Putin or Lvova-Belova.