The arrest warrant to arrest Putin, which was issued by The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), has launched a debate in South Africa which now faces a diplomatic dilemma ahead of the BRICS summit. As South Africa is a member of the ICC, it is theoretically supposed to arrest the Russian president on his arrival in the country. Putin is due to visit Cape Town for a Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) bloc meeting in August. The DA’s judicial application is “pre-emptive” and designed to ensure that Pretoria “respects its obligations” and hands Putin over to the ICC if he comes to South Africa. Russia would be “duly represented” at the BRICS summit, Kremlin spokesman Boris Peskov said on Tuesday May 30, without specifying whether the Russian president planned to attend.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 01, 2023 08:41 UTC