HAGUE: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for three men wanted on suspicion of committing war crimes during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, it announced on Thursday.
The Hague-based court opened an investigation in 2016 into the conflict, which killed hundreds and left thousands of civilians displaced. Russia invaded Georgia after violence broke out between separatist groups and Georgian forces.
In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights concluded that “grave human rights abuses” occurred on Russian-held territory.
The three wanted men; Lieutenant General Mikhail Mindzaev, Gamlet Guchmazov and David Sanakoev served in the government of the Russian-backed self-declared republic of South Ossetia.
In a June 24 ruling that was released on Thursday, a panel of judges concluded that there are “reasonable grounds to believe that each of these three suspects bears responsibility for war crimes”.
Mindzaev and Guchmazov held the top positions at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of South Ossetia, while Sanakoev served as the presidential representative for human rights of the breakaway region. –Agencies
