Russian President Vladimir Putin would be detained if he enters German territory, said German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann.
Once the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president for committing war crimes during the Russia-Ukraine war, the German Justice Minister made this statement.
The German envoy made it plain that Berlin will follow the laws of the International Criminal Court and carry out the warrant if Putin steps foot on German land, according to German news site Die Zeit.
Days after the warrant was issued, the Russian President travelled to Russian-occupied Mariupol earlier on Monday.
If President Putin reaches German land, Germany will be required to detain him and turn him over to the International Criminal Court, Buschmann told the German daily.
“I expect the ICC to quickly contact Interpol as well as participating States and ask them to comply with the demand. Germany will then be obliged to arrest President Putin when he enters German territory and hand him over to the ICC,” he added.
The German diplomat emphasised the seriousness of the situation by stating that the International Criminal Court, unlike national law enforcement organisations, has the authority to prosecute the head of state.
According to the German Justice Minister, the International Court will act like Interpol upon Putin’s arrival on German land and demand that the arrest warrant be carried out in the contracting state.
Germany became a signatory country to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in December 2000.
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