If Putin comes to Mexico, the country’s law enforcement agencies should arrest him. Oleksandra Matviichuk speaks at HAY Festival

On 7 September, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Chairwoman of the Centre for Civil Liberties, gave a public interview to Mario Arriagada, a journalist and civic activist, at one of the world’s most popular book festivals, Mexico’s HAY Festival, which this time took place in Santiago de Querétaro.

Alexandra spoke about the international peace and security system and the role of Mexico, Ukraine and other countries in carrying out the necessary fundamental reform of this system. She also drew attention to the fact that Mexico, as a party to the Rome Statute, has committed itself to cooperating with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and executing its arrest warrants in the context of the upcoming inauguration of the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, to which the Russian president has been invited.

‘It’s not a matter of politics, it’s a matter of law. You may be neutral towards conflicts, but you cannot be neutral to violations of international law and to human suffering. Otherwise, it’s not neutrality. It’s indifference. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for crimes against children. So, if Putin comes to Mexico, the country’s law enforcement agencies should arrest him,’ Oleksandra emphasised.

Mexico is known for its environmental protection initiatives. That is why Oleksandra Matviichuk also spoke about the war crimes against the environment committed by Russians on Ukrainian soil. In particular, she mentioned the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant blown by Russia and the resulting flooding in the country’s south.

During her short visit to the country, Oleksandra also held a personal press conference and gave a series of interviews to Mexican and international media.