APA-Cape Town (South Africa) South Africa’s main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) says Russian President Vladmir Putin should be arrested should he set foot in the country for the BRICS summit scheduled for August.
Putin has an arrest warrant on his head which was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) two weeks ago for alleged war crime committed by Russia following its 13-month-long war in Ukraine.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said as a signatory of the statute establishing the ICC, South Africa has a legal obligation to uphold the court’s decisions and should, therefore, arrest the Russian leader the moment he arrives in the country.
“I think that any responsible president would advise Putin, given the ICC arrest warrant, that he should perhaps not come,” Steenhuisen said Wednesday.
He added: “But if he does come, I think South Africa is obliged — if it’s for the rule of law and (if you) govern according to the constitutional principles — you would be obliged to execute that arrest warrant.”
He warned that failure to arrest the Russian leader would further damage South Africa’s reputation, which has already been hammered by a series of downgrading of the economy by global rating groups.
“If President Ramaphosa insists on placing his friendship with a wanted war criminal over the well-being of his people, we call on him to ensure the meeting takes place on neutral ground and that peace and Russia’s immediate withdrawal from Ukraine be prioritised,” Steenhuisen said.
He added: “South Africa is already seen as weak, inactive and rudderless – we do not need to add sympathiser of war criminals to the list.”
South Africa’s International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor said last week that Pretoria was awaiting legal advice on how to handle Putin’s visit.
JN/APA