Russia Pulls Out From ICC

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he attends the 7th annual VTB Capital "Russia Calling!" Investment Forum in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

BELGRADE - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order on Russia's refusal to take part in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, according to a document published on the Russian government's official portal for legal information.

Putin instructed Russia's Foreign Ministry to send a relevant notification to the UN secretary-general. "The International Criminal Court has not justified hopes placed upon it and did not become a truly independent and authoritative judicial body," a statement published on Russia's Foreign Ministry's website said.

"Russia consistently advocates that people guilty of grave offences must be held accountable, the document points out. Russia...