South Africa proposed this week to grant Russian President Vladimir Putin diplomatic immunity for attending a BRICS economic union summit in August, despite an outstanding arrest warrant for him.
The International Criminal Court, of which South Africa is a part, issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
In theory, any ICC member country Putin travels to would be forced to arrest the Kremlin chief, although South Africa appears ready to sidestep its international obligations, according to Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
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South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, China’s President Xi Jinping, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro pose at the BRICS summit in Brasilia, Brazil November 14, 2019. (Pavel Golovkin/Pool via Portal)
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“Russia attaches enormous importance to the development of this integration format. And Russia will participate in this summit at the appropriate level,” he said during a press conference on Tuesday. “Of course, as a bare minimum, we expect partner countries not to be guided by such unlawful decisions in such an important format.”
Russia is increasingly looking to strengthen ties with countries like South Africa as relations with the West remain strained amid the ongoing war in Ukraine – a move officials have increasingly warned could give Moscow diplomatic clout.
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In a statement Tuesday, Clayson Monyela, head of South Africa’s public diplomacy, said that was the case ‘Standard’ practice for Cape Town and “all countries” to grant immunity to officials attending international conferences “regardless of the level of participation.”
President Vladimir Putin speaks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia October 24, 2019. (Sergei Chirikov/Pool via Portal)
“The immunities apply to the conference and not to specific individuals. They are designed to protect the conference and its participants from the jurisdiction of the host country for the duration of the conference,” he said.
However, Monyela also added that “these immunities do not override any arrest warrants issued by an international tribunal against a conference attendee.”
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It remains unclear whether Putin can actually attend the summit scheduled for later in the summer, although South Africa has reportedly reviewed the wording of the Rome Statute – the founding document of the International Criminal Court – for loopholes that would allow Putin to visit South Africa without the need , then to arrest him.
In April, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa set up an inter-ministerial committee to deal with the drafting of the law and its implementation.
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President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the first plenary session of the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, October 24, 2019. (Sergei Chirikov/Pool via Portal)
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Reports emerged in late April that South Africa was considering an exit from the ICC after the international court issued the arrest warrant for Putin. However, Ramaphosa immediately retracted the threat, calling it a “mistake in comment” by his ruling party.
“South Africa remains a signatory to the Rome Statute and will remain committed to the equal and uniform application of international law,” he said in an April 25 statement.
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Portal contributed to this report.