Western Cape government vows to arrest Putin if he visits the province

Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant of arrest for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. The leader is invited to visit South Africa for the BRICS Summit in August.

WESTERN CAPE TAKES A STAND AGAINST PUTIN’S INVITATION TO BRICS SUMMIT

On Thursday, 27 April, the Democratic Alliance-led Western Cape government said if Putin sets foot in the province, he will be arrested by the provincially funded Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers. “If the South African Police Service is not instructed to act, we will,” Premier Alan Winde said.

The DA has chastised the national government for its impartial stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine since the war broke out in February last year.

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“I am highly disturbed by how the ANC national government is entirely focused on taking steps to ensure the freedom of Vladimir Putin, instead of focusing on securing freedoms for South Africans, many of whom are not free from fear, and have yet to achieve economic freedom, 29 years into our democracy,” said Winde.

HISTORY OF FAILING TO ARREST ICC-INDICTED LEADERS

As a member of the Rome Statute, the South African government is meant to arrest Putin. However, since the warrant was issued, there have been doubts about whether the country will do so, with many speculating that there could be a repeat of the Omar al-Bashir incident.

In 2015, the former Sudanese President visited South Africa with an ICC warrant out for his arrest, and the government failed to carry it out.

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Two South African courts and the ICC itself ruled that South Africa erred in its decision not to arrest Al-Bashir and obstructed justice. The country, however, faced no sanctions.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country would withdraw from the ICC this week. Later, the statement was retracted and attributed to a mistake.

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As previously reported, the Presidency clarified that South Africa remains a signatory to the Rome Statute and will continue to campaign for equal application of international law.

Even if South Africa were to withdraw from the ICC, it would still be compelled to arrest Putin in August due to the length of time it takes to leave the Court.

This article was originally published by Storm Simpson.