THE HAGUE, May 7 — 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 travelled 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.

Located a few kilometres (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.

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