The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in South Africa, so the country has decided to amend its laws in order to give it the authority to determine whether or not to make an arrest.
South Africa sent an invitation to Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia, to attend a summit there earlier this year. Since the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest order for Putin, South Africa would be expected to arrest him during the Brics conference in August.
According to Deputy Minister Obed Bapela, laws are being drafted to give the government the authority to decide if Russian President Vladimir Putin should be detained.
Bapela claims that South Africa would “give itself exemptions of who to arrest and who not to arrest” under the new law, which now requires South Africa to arrest President Putin if he visits the country.
The International Criminal Court has charged Mr. Putin with war crimes committed in Ukraine. South Africa has declined to denounce Russia’s incursion, saying instead that it wishes to maintain its neutrality in the conflict. According to Mr. Bapela, South Africa has also written to the ICC requesting an exemption.
The administration also intends to seek a waiver from Article 98 of the Rome Statute, the treaty that founded the ICC for war crimes in 2022, from the International Criminal Court. Article 27 makes clear that no one is safe from prosecution by the ICC, but Article 98 argues that the court cannot force South Africa to apprehend President Putin without Russia’s consent to relinquish his immunity.
This is so because South Africa is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for President Putin in March following the conflict in Ukraine. According to the BBC, the Foreign Affairs Department of Pretoria has confirmed the giving of diplomatic immunity to Russian personnel as part of routine practise.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA), the largest opposition group, has filed a lawsuit demanding that President Putin be arrested during his expected August visit.
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