“No one is above the law. All crimes must be fully investigated, there must be no impunity,” said a spokeswoman for the foreign minister on Wednesday. As a contracting party to the Rome Statute, Austria, like all other contracting parties, is obliged to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC). “That means arrest warrants from the court have to be implemented and those wanted by them arrested. Of course, that also applies to President Putin,” said Schallenberg’s spokeswoman.
However, the question is more of a “hypothetical nature” because following the publication of the ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin in March, it seems “very unlikely that Putin will travel to one of the 123 ICC contracting states and expose himself to the risk of arrest”.
Europe Minister Edtstadler and Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens) had previously made similar statements. Regarding Hungary’s refusal to execute the international arrest warrant once morest Putin if he enters Hungary, Zadic said at the end of March that Hungary had also ratified the Rome Statute and was therefore bound by it.
