Tomoko Akane, a respected judge from Japan, was elected president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the children’s rights ombudsperson, for actions under ICC jurisdiction. The appointment was announced by the court’s official site and confirmed during a subsequent update from the criminal justice authority.
The election of Akane was announced at the general assembly meeting held in the afternoon on March 11. As a result, she will serve as ICC president for a three-year term, beginning at the close of the vote and continuing through March 2027.
During the same session, Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala was elected first vice president and Judge Rein Alapini-Gansu was chosen as second vice president to support the leadership of the court.
Akane succeeds Piotr Hofmanski, a Polish lawyer who had led the ICC presidency since March 11, 2021. The change in leadership marks a new chapter for the court as it pursues its mandate across complex international cases.
In July 2023, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that Akane is wanted nationwide. The notice described the individual as being sought in connection with a criminal case, though it did not specify any particular article of Russia’s Criminal Code.
The ICC’s arrest warrants issued on March 17, 2023, allege involvement by Putin and Lvova-Belova in war crimes, specifically the illegal deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia, actions considered a violation of international law under the court’s jurisdiction.
Earlier reactions from the Kremlin had varied in response to the ICC’s decision to issue warrants for Russian commanders, reflecting the complex geopolitical tensions surrounding the court’s intervention in matters of international justice.