The international criminal court’s arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights (ICC judges issue arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes, 17 March) represent an important milestone in demonstrating to the world how irrelevant, compromised and cowardly the ICC is.
Rather than being a beacon of international justice without favour or prejudice, it seems that it prefers currying favour among its western sponsors and backers instead of casting the light of justice over the egregious war crimes and crimes against humanity that the US-led west has committed over the years.
The destruction of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria come to mind, coupled with the illegal and criminal economic war of sanctions against Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Afghanistan etc, where the aim is to try to destroy these countries’ economies and starve the people into bringing about a change of regime.
A more fitting description to go with its acronym is international court of cowardice.
Russell Caplan
Wood Green, London
• Writing as a senior member of the UK delegation at the negotiations in Rome that led to the establishment of the international criminal court, I welcome its decision on Vladimir Putin, even if it is unrealistic to think that there will be an arrest anytime soon.
The UK is a party to the Rome statute, the treaty that established the ICC, and played a leading negotiating role at a time when it believed in the international rule of law. However, the key protagonists in the Ukraine war are not. Russia is not a party to the statute, yet the arrest warrant names its president. Ukraine is not a party, although the crimes are alleged to have been committed on its territory. And the US is not a party, although Joe Biden has welcomed the ICC’s actions. To some commentators, foreign policy is complicated; to others it is decidedly murky.
Christopher Muttukumaru
London
• Re the ICC’s arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, no such warrant has ever been issued for Tony Blair.
Derek McMillan
Durrington, West Sussex
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