Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Mongolia to either deny entry or arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is set to visit that country on September 3. Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which Mongolia joined in 2003, for the unlawful deportation and unlawful transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. “Mongolia would be defying its international obligations as an ICC member if it allows [Putin] to visit without arresting him,” Maria Elena Vignoli, senior international justice counsel at HRW, said in a press release issued on September 2. The Kremlin said on August 30 that it had “no worries” about the trip, adding that Russia has “a wonderful dialogue with our friends from Mongolia.”
HRW Urges Mongolia Either To Arrest Or Deny Entry To Russia's Putin
The trip to Mongolia would be President Vladimir Putin’s first to a country that is a member of the ICC since the arrest warrant was issued in March 2023 over suspected war crimes in Ukraine.(illustrative image)