Ukraine pleads for Putin’s arrest in South Africa

A Ukrainian Nobel peace prize winner on Wednesday referred to as on South Africa to not enable Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend a BRICS summit within the nation in August.

Oleksandra Romantsova, the top of an NGO that grew to become the winner of Ukraine’s first ever peace prize final yr, urged the South African authorities to “present us that they care”.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant towards Putin in March which means Pretoria, resulting from host the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa bloc summit this yr, must detain him on arrival.

“For us South Africa is a spot the place individuals are preventing for freedom, for equality for dignity,” Romantsova, who was in South Africa to garner help for Ukraine, informed a media briefing in Johannesburg.

– Putin go to could be ‘nice disappointment’ –

If Putin have been to come back right here and never be arrested it will “be an incredible disappointment,” she mentioned.

The Worldwide Felony Courtroom warrant towards Putin stems from accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian kids.

Romantsova, the chief director of the Kyiv-based Heart for Civil Liberties (CCL), instructed the Russian president might attend the BRICS summit through Zoom — or ship a minister who is just not wished by the ICC.

CCL, which has run profitable campaigns for political prisoners, tracked enforced disappearances and highlighted Russian struggle crimes, shared the peace prize with Belarusian and Russian co-winners final yr.

A continental powerhouse, South Africa has refused to sentence the invasion of Ukraine which has largely remoted Moscow on the worldwide stage, saying it desires to remain impartial and prefers dialogue to finish the struggle.

Earlier this yr, it held a controversial joint navy train with Russia and China, which critics cite as proof of a tilt in direction of the Kremlin.

Romantsova, who got here to South Africa as a part of a delegation comprising lecturers and non-profit organisations, met with senior officers on the South African overseas ministry. However she was given the chilly shoulder by the ruling African Nationwide Congress (ANC) get together.

“We try to fulfill (the ANC) and for me it is shocking that it is so tough to organise such a gathering,” mentioned Olexiy Haran, one other member of the delegation and a politics professor at Nationwide College of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.