Russia has requested that Dutch authorities hand over Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), after a Moscow court sentenced her to prison in connection with the tribunal’s arrest warrants for Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office announced the request on Thursday, alongside demands for the handover of eight other individuals, including former ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, from the countries concerned.
Akane heads the international court based in The Hague, which investigates and prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression within its jurisdiction. Russia’s request follows a series of retaliatory measures against ICC officials after the court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The warrant placed the Russian president at the centre of an international legal dispute over accountability for the war. Russian authorities subsequently added ICC officials, including Akane, to their wanted list in response to the tribunal’s actions. Moscow has treated the issuance of arrest warrants against Russian officials as grounds for criminal proceedings against those responsible.
In December 2025, a Moscow court sentenced Akane and other ICC officials to prison terms ranging from three years and six months to 15 years. The sentences were imposed over the issuance of arrest warrants for individuals including Putin. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has now sought to have those convicted handed over by the relevant countries.
The request involving Akane places the Netherlands, where the ICC is headquartered, directly in the latest development in the dispute. Russia has also sought the surrender of eight other individuals, including Khan, who previously served as the court’s chief prosecutor. The announcement did not provide further details about the status of the requests or the responses of the countries concerned.
The confrontation follows Russia’s rejection of the ICC’s action against Putin and its efforts to pursue officials associated with the tribunal. The 2023 arrest warrant was issued in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has generated competing legal and political claims over responsibility for alleged violations of international law.
The case has also intersected with tensions between the ICC and the United States. The administration of President Donald Trump, which has criticised the court over its war-crimes investigation of US military personnel, imposed sanctions on Akane in August 2026. Akane is a Japanese citizen. The US measures added another dimension to the pressure facing the court, although the stated grounds for the American action differ from Russia’s prosecution of ICC officials over the Putin arrest warrant.
Russia’s latest requests seek the surrender of individuals it has convicted, but the announcement does not establish that the Netherlands or the other countries will comply. Nor does it provide details of any proceedings initiated by the requested states in response to Moscow’s demands.
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office announced the handover requests on Thursday, naming Akane and eight others, including former prosecutor Khan, among those it wants returned from abroad.
