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In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
If he goes to the summit in South Africa this summer, he will be arrested.
It has given the country a headache that it does everything to avoid.
The International Criminal Court’s order to arrest Russia’s president came after allegations that the country illegally mass-deported at least one hundred Ukrainian children from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.
In August, South Africa hosts the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, Pretoria. Brazil, India and China are welcome. Russia has also been invited and accepted.
But if the Russian president lands on South African soil, South Africa, which is a close ally of Russia, is forced to arrest him under the Treaty of Rome.
Oleksandra Romantsova, CEO of the Kiev-based Center for Civil Liberties, which received the Nobel Peace Prize last year, appealed a few days ago to the South African government to “show us that they care.”
– For us, South Africa is a country where people fight for freedom, for equality and for dignity. If Putin came here and was not arrested, it would be a big disappointment, she said at a press conference.
Romantsova suggested that the Russian president could attend the summit virtually, via Zoom – or send some minister who has no imminent arrest hanging over him.
No official reaction to it has yet from the Kremlin, according to South African media.
The South African government is now, according to the Daily Nation newspaper, working frantically on a plan to stop the Russian president from coming to Johannesburg – anything to avoid arresting him.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday last week wanted South Africa to turn its back on the ICC.
– The ruling party has made the decision that it is wise for South Africa to withdraw from the ICC, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a press conference.
In the evening of the same day, a “clarification” came about South Africa’s stance towards the ICC.
“The President wishes to clarify that South Africa remains a signatory to the Treaty of Rome,” the president’s office wrote in a statement, citing “miscommunication” within the ANC.
The leader of the Democratic Party in the Western Cape region is Alan Winde. He attacked the ruling ANC party, saying that if Putin sets foot in the province, which is realistic according to the Daily Nation, he will “definitely” be arrested.
– Putin has consistently and violently undermined the freedom of the Ukrainian people and those in his own country who dare to stand up to his brutal actions, Alan Winde said according to The Independent.
He added that he would ensure that the police were ready at the airport and that he would cooperate with Interpol and the ICC if necessary to arrest Putin.
Putin’s allies have previously said that an attempt to arrest the Russian president would be seen as an act of war.
Facts
The country has defied the court before
The Treaty of Rome, signed by 139 countries in 1998, is the foundational document for the establishment of the ICC, the International Criminal Court.
South Africa has tried to withdraw from the ICC in the past, in 2016 the country refused to arrest the then president of Sudan Omar al-Bashir who was visiting for the African Union summit, instead al-Bashir was taken out of the country secretly.
The exit plans were stopped only in the court, which ruled that an exit would be against the constitution.
South Africa’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has, among other things, left a loan of the equivalent of SEK 87 million hanging loose and also a multi-year project that will help the country become fossil-free and instead invest in wind, solar and hydropower is in danger.
The export of platinum, gold and motorcycles can also be jeopardized, in 2021 exports amounted to approximately SEK 143 billion.
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