Moscow court orders arrest in absentia of International Criminal Court judge

A local court in Moscow on Wednesday ordered an arrest in absentia of the second vice-president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Reine Alapini-Gansou.

The Basmanny District Court said in its ruling that Alapini-Gansou is wanted for issuing a "knowingly illegal" arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ICC judge is also on the international list of wanted people, the court said.

In March last year, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin at the request of prosecutor Karim Khan.

The Hague-based tribunal accused Putin of the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine after the launch of Russia's special military operation in February 2022.

Russia denies the allegations, insisting that children were evacuated from the battle zone to save their lives and that the warrant is not applicable, as the country is not a member of the ICC.