Japan protests Russia’s bid to extradite ICC chief over Putin arrest warrant

Japan on Friday lodged a formal protest against Russia’s request for the extradition of International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, from the Netherlands, describing the move as “unacceptable.”The protest came a day after Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office submitted extradition requests to the Netherlands, where the ICC is headquartered in The Hague, and several other countries for Akane and nine other ICC staff members.“Measures targeting individuals connected to the ICC are unjust and unacceptable. We regret that Russia made extradition requests to multiple countries nevertheless,” Japan’s deputy chief cabinet secretary Masanao Ozaki told reporters, according to the Associated Press.Tokyo would consider further action, including additional formal protests, Ozaki added.The requests followed Moscow’s issuance of arrest warrants for Akane and eight others in response to the ICC’s 2023 warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. The Moscow City Court last year sentenced all nine in absentia to prison terms.Russia has accused the ICC of violating fundamental principles and norms of international law by issuing arrest warra...