Labour demands Putin stands trial at the Hague after killing of Alexei Navalny

18 February 2024 , 10:28

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The International Criminal Court last year issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Vladimir Putin should stand trial at the Hague following the death of Alexei Navalny, David Lammy has said.

The Shadow Foreign Secretary demanded the Russian President be put before an international tribunal for crimes against humanity. It comes as the UK considers fresh sanctions against Moscow after the opposition leader died in jail.

Mr Lammy told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg programme: "We've been calling for a special tribunal for crimes of aggression and against humanity. I'd like to see Putin in front of that special tribunal, held to account for all of his crimes, not just in Ukraine, but as we are seeing just in the last 48 hours in Russia as well.

"And of course as Russia holds elections this year, it's important that the international community is able to verify that they are free and fair elections." Mr Lammy said he would support further sanctions against Russia and pledged that Labour would "plug the gaps" of existing measures if elected.

Tory minister Michael Tomlinson said it was right to "lay the blame" for Mr Navalny's death "at the door of Putin". He told Sky News: "The Foreign Secretary has been very firm and robust in his condemnation and blame frankly of Putin for what happened.

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"Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine we have sanctioned 1,700 individuals and entities as well, and it's right that the Foreign Secretary considers the appropriate next steps." He went on: "It's very clear as the Foreign Secretary said to lay the blame at the door of Putin.

"Alexei Navalny was a courageous politician, all of us who stand for politics in the West know how hard and how challenging that is, but imagine how challenging that is to try and stand up to Putin. The Foreign Secretary in my view is absolutely correct to lay the blame firmly at Putin's door."

Mr Navalny's spokesman has confirmed that the Russian opposition leader died at a remote Arctic penal colony and said he was "murdered", but it remains unclear where his body is. Over 400 people were detained in Russia while paying tribute to him at the weekend, according to campaigners.

The International Criminal Court last year issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

John Stevens