International arrest warrant: how Switzerland is involved in the pursuit of Putin

On Friday, the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC) publicly announced that an international arrest warrant had been issued against Vladimir Putin. In Russia itself, this is ineffective – the international prosecutors cannot send police officers to Moscow to arrest the president.

But if Putin were to travel to countries that are members of the Court, he risks being arrested there. Also in Switzerland, because she has been a committed member of the ICC since its foundation. On its website, the federal government writes: “Because of its humanitarian tradition and its role as depositary of the Geneva Conventions, Switzerland has significantly supported the establishment of a strong and independent court.”

States parties must “fully cooperate” with the International Criminal Court

So the question goes to the competent Federal Office of Justice: Will Switzerland arrest Vladimir Putin if he enters our country? The agency avoids a direct answer: “Search requests and related extradition requests are confidential and covered by professional secrecy. Therefore, the Federal Bureau of Justice is not commenting on the specific case.” The FOJ also said nothing about whether Putin will still be allowed to travel to UN meetings in Geneva as president.

However, it contains additional information suggesting that Vladimir Putin would be arrested if he entered Switzerland. In its statement, the FOJ emphasizes its close cooperation with the ICC: “Switzerland, in principle, executes its arrest warrants when the persons involved are in Switzerland.” And on its website it writes: “State states are obliged to cooperate without restrictions with the ICC.”

The Central Bureau for Cooperation with the ICC in the FOJ processes arrest requests from The Hague and checks whether the requirements for transfer are met. “If necessary, it shall order the arrest of the person sought.” The ICC can then submit a transfer request to the federal government within 60 days of the arrest.

The criminal court prosecutes the most serious crimes

If it arrives in time, the wanted person will remain in custody until the end of the transfer procedure. You can file a complaint against the detention with the Federal Criminal Court.

The ICC is responsible for prosecuting the most serious crimes affecting the international community as a whole: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It intervenes only when national prosecuting authorities are unwilling or unable to prosecute crimes committed on their territory or by their nationals. This is clearly the case for Russia.