A Moscow court issued on 12 December 2025 in absentia verdicts against the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, and eight judges of the ICC, including its Vice-President, the Italian judge Salvatore Aitala.

All nine individuals were found guilty of “prosecuting innocent persons, illegal detention and attempted violence against persons who enjoy international protection”, and have now been placed on an international wanted list by Russian authorities.

In March 2023 the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation Children's Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, for illegally deporting Ukrainian children. The warrant was considered by the Russian Federation as “null and void” and the Judicial Authority opened a criminal case into the ICC Prosecutor and eight judges, which now ended with prison sentences.

In a statement, the National Magistrates Association expressed its hope “that the Italian government would immediately ask the Russian government for an explanation of the circumstances that led to Judge Aitala being convicted in absentia by the Moscow court”.