South Africa has announced that it will grant diplomatic immunity to all participants, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will be attending BRICS-related events in the country. This means that these individuals will be immune from arrest or detention while they are in South Africa.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the BRICS summit in August, which will be held in South Africa. Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in relation to the invasion of Ukraine. However, South Africa, which is a member of the ICC, has indicated that it will not arrest Putin if he attends the summit.
The South African government has said that it will grant Putin diplomatic immunity, which will protect him from arrest. The government has said that this is a routine practice and that it is not intended to send a message of support to Putin.
Decision by South Africa not to arrest Putin has been met with criticism from some quarters
However, the South African government has defended its decision, saying that it is necessary to ensure the smooth running of the summit.
“This is a standard conferment of immunities that we do for all international conferences and summits held in South Africa irrespective of the level of participation,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperations said in the official notice said on Tuesday, reports Bloomberg.
South Africa has granted diplomatic immunity to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other international leaders who will be attending the BRICS summit in August. This means that these individuals will be immune from arrest or detention while they are in South Africa. The notice granting diplomatic immunity was signed on May 19 and gazetted on May 22. It states that Putin and his counterparts will be granted immunities and privileges provided in terms of Section 6()(a) of the Diplomatic Immunity and Privileges Act.
The decision by South Africa to grant diplomatic immunity to Putin has been met with criticism from some quarters. However, the South African government has defended its decision, saying that it is necessary to ensure the smooth running of the BRICS summit.
International Court issues warrant for Putin as South Africa prepares to host BRICS Summit
“The immunities are for the conference and not for specific individuals. They are meant to protect the conference and its attendees from the jurisdiction of the host country for the duration of the conference.”
A Government Gazette published on Monday stated that foreign ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will gather in the capital Cape Town city from June 1-2.
Another BRICS-related event is scheduled to take place between August 22 and August 24 during which the heads of state of these countries will meet.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday announced that Russia will participate in the BRICS summit at an “appropriate level”. He said that Russia will take part in this summit at a proper level, but did not give further details. He added that Russia attributes great importance to the development of this integration format, referring to BRICS.
“Russia will take part in this summit at a proper level,” he said while responding to a question about whether Putin will participate in the summit in South Africa, the state-run Tass news agency reported.
Peskov, however, did not give further details.
“Russia attributes great importance to the development of this integration format,” the Kremlin Spokesman said, referring to BRICS.
South Africa’s ANC government refuses to arrest Putin despite ICC warrant
South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), has said that it will not arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he ever visits South Africa. ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula made the statement in an interview with the BBC.
The interview aired nearly two months after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March. The ICC warrant is based on allegations that Putin committed war crimes in Ukraine.
In the interview, Mbalula said that South Africa would not yield to external pressure, including from Western nations, to arrest Putin. He also called out what he perceived as hypocrisy from the West, citing the alleged war crimes committed by Western countries like Britain and the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mbalula pointed out that the leaders of Western countries who committed these alleged war crimes have not faced any consequences. He asked why Putin should be treated any differently.
Overall, South Africa has taken a firm stance against arresting Putin, even though he is wanted by the ICC. The ANC government has said that it will not yield to external pressure, and it has also called out what it perceives as hypocrisy from the West.