July 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has urged the South African authorities to “do the right thing” in the event that Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Johannesburg for the BRICS leaders’ summit. , an organization made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“South Africa has felt a crime against humanity for decades, the crime of apartheid, I don’t think they need lessons from me,” said Khan, who recalled that the African country is a voluntary member of the TPI. “They know what the law is and I think they will do the right thing,” he told CNN.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant in March for Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for the Rights of the Child, Maria Lvova Belova, for the war crime of illegal deportation of Ukrainian minors to Russian territories as part of the war in Eastern Europe, launched by order of Moscow at the end of February 2022.
The ICC does not hold trials in absentia, so it is necessary that Putin was handed over by Moscow or arrested outside of Russia, which is not a member of the ICC. South Africa, for its part, if it is a signatory to the Rome statute, so if it has evidence of the presence of someone wanted by the ICC, it should arrest and hand him over.
However, the South African government has granted diplomatic immunity to all those attending the BRICS summit, scheduled for August. In this way, President Putin could travel to the country despite the arrest warrant issued by the CFI. The Kremlin has not yet confirmed Putin’s attendance at the meeting.
