Russian President Vladimir Putin withdrew his nation from the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, a day after a United Nations committee condemned Russia for human rights abuses in Crimea.
The court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, tries people on charges such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The United States is not among the court’s 120-plus members.
Russia signed the Rome Treaty document establishing the court in 2000, but did not ratify it. Russia says it continued to cooperate with the court and worked as an observer despite not technically falling under its jurisdiction.
Putin signed a directive Wednesday that essentially notified UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that Russia will not become a member of the court. Putin’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement noting that the ICC began with a goal of maintaining international peace and security, settling ongoing conflicts and preventing new tensions.
“Unfortunately the Court failed to meet the expectations to become a truly independent, authoritative international tribunal,” the statement said, calling the court “ineffective and one-sided.”
