South Africa, which Putin may visit, initiates withdrawal from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court
Then the country will not have to decide whether to arrest Putin or not
The ruling African National Congress party in South Africa has decided to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Source. This was announced by the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, moscowtimes.eu reports citing TimesLIVE.
"We believe that the issue of the court's unfair treatment should be properly discussed, but the ruling party has once again decided that the country should withdraw from the ICC," he said.
The final decision on this should be made by the parliament of the republic, in which the ruling party has a majority.
South African authorities found themselves in a difficult position after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on charges of deporting Ukrainian children. Earlier, they had intended to invite him to the BRICS summit to be held in Durban in August. At the same time, the country is a member of the ICC, as it signed the Rome Statute on the basis of which it was created, and should arrest Putin.
At first, the authorities said they were "aware of the responsibility". But in March, the South African government sought legal advice.
"We are concerned about the situation of the people of Ukraine. And we want to continue to engage with both countries to encourage them to make peace," said Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor.
The authorities also considered the possibility of legislating immunity from ICC warrants for current heads of state.
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin had received an invitation to the BRICS summit, noting that no decision has been made on the president's trip.
South Africa signed the Rome Statute in 1998 and ratified it in 2000. In 2017, the authorities already tried to withdraw the country from the jurisdiction of the ICC, but the Supreme Court declared this decision unconstitutional.
Background. As a reminder, Austria has also volunteered to arrest Putin if he comes to the country.
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