DA approaches court to compel SA to arrest Putin
The DA says it is will approach the high court to compel South Africa to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visits the country.
Putin is due to visit South Africa during BRICS summit in August.
The move by the DA comes amid pressure on the government to make a decision on the attendance of Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes allegedly committed during his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute and will have a legal obligation to arrest Putin if and when he sets foot in the country.
“Putin is accused by the ICC of being responsible for the war crimes of unlawful deportation of children, and the unlawful transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation,” says the DA’s Glynnis Breytenbach.
“This pre-emptive court action aims to ensure that South Africa upholds its obligations in terms of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act.”
The DA says the country cannot afford another embarrassment, citing the failure to arrest Sudanese leader Omar Al-Bashir in 2015.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation gazetted a notice on Monday providing diplomatic immunity to officials attending the BRICS summit in August.
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