Russia adds another International Criminal Court judge to wanted list

In response to the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow has put International Criminal Court (ICC) judge Tomoko Akane on its wanted list, Russian state media said on Thursday, citing the current wanted list of the Interior Ministry.
Which specific Russian criminal law Akane is alleged to have violated was not disclosed.
The judge was part of the ICC team that issued arrest warrants against Putin and Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova in March 2023 for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
They are accused of being responsible for the abduction and deportation of children and minors from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine to Russia. Moscow refers to the incidents as evacuations.
Russia, which has been waging an unprovoked full-scale military invasion against Ukraine since February 2022, is not subject to ICC jurisdiction and described the warrants as "insignificant."
ICC judge Salvatore Aytala and chief prosecutor Karim Khan were also put on Moscow's wanted list in May.
Russian authorities accuse them of "knowingly accusing an innocent person" and preparing an "attack on a representative of a foreign government" to complicate international relations.
Another judge, Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez, is under investigation, according to Russian authorities.
Under Russian law, those charged in absentia face up to 12 years in prison if convicted. There was initially no reaction from the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands.