From the BZ editorial team
First it hit warmonger Vladimir Putin (70). On Friday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague announced the arrest warrant for the Russian President. Ex-US President Donald Trump (76) could be behind bars as early as Tuesday. He announced it himself on social media.
What the two arrest warrants mean for the world.
► What is Putin accused of?
According to chief prosecutor Karim Khan (52), Putin committed or was responsible for war crimes. Victims are thousands of abducted children from Ukraine who were “adopted” and brutally re-educated in Russia!
► Will he really be behind bars?
Questionable! Only 123 of 195 countries worldwide recognize the Criminal Court in The Hague as the supreme authority. In countries like Egypt, Syria and even the USA, Putin could use it to vacation without necessarily having to expect imprisonment. If in doubt, he will be guaranteed impunity before traveling (e.g. for peace negotiations) …
Kremlin tyrant Vladimir Putin during a speech in Moscow (archive photo) Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS
► What does the federal government say?
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (45, FDP) would arrest Putin if there was a chance. According to Buschmann in the BILD am SONNTAG, he expects that the judges in The Hague will “request the investigators from Interpol for enforcement”.
► How does Putin react?
Apparently calm, predecessor Dmitry Medvedev (57) jokes on Telegram: “The idiots in Europe want to arrest a stranger and in America their own president is being arrested.”
Ex-US President Donald Trump Photo: DAVID DEE DELGADO/REUTERS
► What is Trump accused of?
Compared to Putin’s war crimes – little! During the 2016 election campaign, he is said to have distributed hush money through his lawyer, including $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels (44) to cover up an alleged affair (which he denies). A grand jury is deliberating on whether Trump violated campaign finance laws. He is also said to have declared the hush money as “costs for legal advice”.
► Will he really be behind bars?
Not clear. The grand jury in New York is scheduled to decide this week whether to indict him. Prosecutor Alvin Bragg (49) invited a surprise witness to convict Trump on Monday.
► How does Trump react?
He is calling for protests because the judiciary wants to exclude him from running for the White House again “on the basis of fabricated allegations”, in order to make political profit from the affair.
► Why is the case so delicate?
It could be the first time in history that a former US President will be indicted. If he were convicted, a US federal law would prohibit him from running again for the 2024 election and thus a second Republican term.