Protesters call for Putin trial in Hague over Ukraine crimes — photos
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Dozens gathered outside The Hague's Peace Palace in the Netherlands to protest the "inauguration" of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, urging accountability for war crimes, Sky News reported on May 7.
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Protesters paraded a massive carnival float featuring a caricature of Putin donning a striped prison uniform with blood on his hands, accompanied by placards demanding "Putin to The Hague," the seat of the International Court of Justice. On March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, citing his involvement in the illicit transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia since Feb. 24, 2022. Putin faces potential arrest in 123 countries that have ratified the Rome Statute.
Putin has been “inaugurated” for his fifth presidential term on May 7.
The Russian leader first assumed the presidency in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004. After serving as prime minister for four years under President Dmitry Medvedev, Putin returned to the presidency for a third term in 2012, coinciding with the extension of the presidential term from four to six years. He secured a fourth presidential term in 2018. Constitutional amendments adopted in 2020 enabled Putin to potentially run for two more terms as president.
Russia conducted a so-called "presidential election" on March 15-17, which saw no participation from opposition politicians. The Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) declared on March 18 that it had "tabulated" 100% of the results, with Putin purportedly winning 87.28% of the vote.
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"There is no legitimacy in Russia’s imitation of presidential election," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. White House agreed that "elections" in Russia were unfair.
Russian media outlet Meduza reported that fraud in the "presidential election" in Russia reached an unprecedented scale, making it impossible to even ascertain the number of fraudulent "votes."
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
