In this two-part episode, Carl Lewis is joined by an expert panel - Julie Fraser, Victoria Kerr, Sergii Masol, and Owiso Owiso -  to unpack some of the political and legal implications of the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.

In part one, they discuss the background to the ICC Arrest Warrants and the role of immunity and jurisdiction. They address the question of head of state immunity and the practical considerations of the arrest warrants. They also deliberate on the reaction to these arrest warrants in Ukraine and Russia and the choice of charges raised by the ICC.

Panelists:

• Julie Fraser - Assistant Professor with the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) and the Montaigne Centre at Utrecht University.
• Victoria Kerr - Consultant with the Asser Institute
• Sergii Masol - Postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Cologne
• Owiso Owiso – International lawyer and independent consultant specialising in international criminal law and transitional justice

Resources and recommended reading:

1) O. Owiso - An Aggression Chamber for Ukraine Supported by the Council of Europe -  https://opiniojuris.org/2022/03/30/an-aggression-chamber-for-ukraine-supported-by-the-council-of-europe/

2) P. Labuda - Beyond rhetoric: Interrogating the Eurocentric critique of international criminal law’s selectivity in the wake of the 2022 Ukraine invasion - https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/leiden-journal-of-international-law/article/beyond-rhetoric-interrogating-the-eurocentric-critique-of-international-criminal-laws-selectivity-in-the-wake-of-the-2022-ukraine-invasion/BD9D81E2CFA79A7930769DD0F18BBA63

3) S. Masol -  Ukraine and the International Criminal Court: Between Realpolitik and Post-truth Politics - https://academic.oup.com/jicj/article/20/1/167/6580701

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed by individuals in their personal capacity are their own and do not reflect the views or positions of their respective organizations.