South Africa opposition moves court demanding Putin’s arrest during BRICS Summit

A leading opposition party in South Africa said on Tuesday (May 30) that it has approached a court to force the national government to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he attends the upcoming BRICS Summit in the country. Putin has an arrest warrant against him issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). South African government is currently facing a diplomatic dilemma. The BRICS meeting is scheduled for August.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) party said it has lodged a court application for Putin's arrest "should President Putin set foot in South Africa" and further demanded that Putin then be handed over to the ICC.

"This pre-emptory court action aims to ensure that South Africa upholds its obligations," DA shadow minister of justice Glynnis Breytenbach said in a statement. 

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South Africa is a member of the ICC and has close diplomatic relations with Moscow. But the government is yet to declare its unequivocal official position about how it will deal with the Putin situation. However, it has granted diplomatic immunity to all officials attending the summit.

Breytenbach said the DA was seeking a "declaratory order" to avoid a repeat of 2015 when Pretoria failed to arrest then-Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who was similarly wanted by the ICC.

No comment from Russia right now

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov declined to comment on Tuesday on whether Putin plans to travel to South Africa for the summit.

"Russia will be duly represented," Peskov said, adding that Moscow expected its BRICS partners "not be guided" by "illegitimate decisions" such as the ICC arrest warrant. 

Some view the move as a preparatory step to provide legal cover for Putin's visit — something Pretoria has denied. 

"These immunities do not override any warrant that may have been issued by any international tribunal against any attendee of the conference," South Africa's foreign affairs department said in a statement.

Their issuing was "standard" procedure for the hosting of international conferences, it said.

Russia attacked Ukraine in February last year. South Africa, however, has chosen to not condemn the Russian invasion. Since its attack on Ukraine, Russia has found itself increasingly isolated on the international stage. South Africa has maintained that it prefers to stay neutral and has supported dialogue to end the war.

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said earlier this month that his country has been under "extraordinary pressure" to pick sides in the Ukraine conflict. South Africa has been on the receiving end of accusations that it has a tilt towards Kremlin.

Putin is wanted by the ICC over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.

(With inputs from agencies)

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