Protesters call for Putin to be put on trial in The Hague

"We need to raise awareness about Putin's crimes internationally, he must be held accountable," said Dina Musina, who works for a Berlin based NGO supporting Russian prisoners.

 Protesters call for Russian President Putin to go to jail instead of another term in the Kremlin, in The Hague (photo credit: REUTERS/PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW)
Protesters call for Russian President Putin to go to jail instead of another term in the Kremlin, in The Hague
(photo credit: REUTERS/PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW)

Several dozen protesters gathered outside The Hague's Peace Palace to protest against the inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin and called for him to stand trial.

The protesters, many of whom had traveled from Germany with a giant carnival float that showed a caricature of Putin, with blood on his hands in a striped jail uniform, weighed down by a ball and chain, held Ukrainian flags and placards saying "Putin to The Hague."

"We need to raise awareness about Putin's crimes internationally, he must be held accountable," said Dina Musina, who works for a Berlin based NGO supporting Russian prisoners.

Warrants issued back in 2023

Located a few kilometers (miles) to the east of the Peace Palace, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has an outstanding arrest warrant for Putin.

In March 2023, the ICC issued warrants for the arrest of Putin and Russian Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on war crimes charges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children.

 Protesters call for Russian President Putin to go to jail instead of another term in the Kremlin, in The Hague (credit: REUTERS/PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW)
Protesters call for Russian President Putin to go to jail instead of another term in the Kremlin, in The Hague (credit: REUTERS/PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW)

Russia says the warrant against Putin is a meaningless attempt by the West to soil Russia's reputation and denies war crimes in Ukraine.