Former top UN prosecutor calls for Putin’s arrest

A former chief prosecutor for UN war crimes tribunals has called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be arrested over the invasion of Ukraine.

Switzerland’s Carla Del Ponte said international arrest warrants should be issued against Putin and other senior Russian officials.

“Putin is a war criminal,” she told Swiss newspaper Le Temps (in French).

Del Ponte served as chief prosecutor on the UN international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda.

An investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine was launched last month after Russia was accused of bombing civilians. The International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor, the UK’s Karim Khan, said evidence was being collected on alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

But there are practical limitations to the ICC’s power: Russia is not a member of the court and theoretically does not extradite its own citizens to stand trial abroad.

When US President Joe Biden referred to Putin as a “war criminal” last month, the Kremlin said his words were “unforgivable”.