May 5. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The attorney general of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has said he trusts South Africa to “do the right thing” and arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin when he is likely to visit his country this summer.
South Africa will host the summit of BRICS leaders in August, which brings together Russia, among other countries, and the possible visit of Putin, who has an arrest warrant issued by the CFI this March, has generated debate in the African country.
Khan has spoken in the Parliament of Canada a few hours after the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, has visited the headquarters of the ICC in The Hague, and has affirmed that South Africa “is aware of its responsibilities” by being covered by the Statute of Rome, with which countries commit to respect and comply with the resolutions of the TPI.
“There have been more recent statements regarding South Africa’s recognition of its obligations under the Rome Statute. They have gone on record that they are aware of those responsibilities. I don’t think they need any tutelage from me,” Khan said. in front of the Canadian House of Commons, in statements collected by the CBC network.
South Africa’s position on this issue is unclear and has suffered from various statements in different directions on whether or not the arrest warrant will be complied with in a possible visit by the Russian president. In the past week, the African National Congress (ANC) has denied reports that South Africa wanted to immediately withdraw from the ICC.
These clarifications were made in response to claims by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa about the court’s lack of impartiality.
Ramaphosa has previously alleged that the ANC is in favor of South Africa directly breaking with the ICC. The party, he said, considers it “prudent”, arguing that the Hague-based court allegedly has biased positions on certain issues.
