From August 8 to August 22 this year, the BRICS Summit will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, according to Reuters and other media, South Africa has issued invitations to BRICS leaders.

But because Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, South African officials say South Africa is considering a number of ways to avoid executing the arrest warrant against Putin, including changing the venue to be hosted by China, the host country of the last summit.

According to Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, one reason South Africa is considering asking China to host the BRICS summit is that China is not a member of the International Criminal Court and therefore does not need to execute its arrest warrant.

On March 3, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally transferring children from Ukraine to Russia. According to the regulations, all 17 States parties to the ICC are obliged to arrest Putin and bring him to the ICC for trial.

Since South Africa is a member of the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest Putin when he appears in the country.

The ICC's arrest warrant has left South Africa in a dilemma as it hosts the BRICS summit, with President Ramaphosa claiming on April 4 that the country's ruling African National Congress (ANC) had made a decision to withdraw from the ICC.

However, the office of the President of South Africa, as well as the ANC, immediately clarified, saying that South Africa did not intend to withdraw from the ICC and stressing that the ANC had miscommunicated with the outside world.

Vladimir Putin, Russian President （Reuters）

On the 29th of last month, the South African government also announced that it would grant diplomatic immunity to participants during the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in June and the 6th BRICS Summit in August, a decision that could open the door for Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the meeting.

South Africa's deputy minister of state-owned enterprises, Obeid Bapela, also said on May 5 that South Africa is planning to pass legislation that would give the government the option to decide whether to execute ICC arrest warrants.

However, some South African officials worry that South Africa may not have enough time for parliament to pass such a law before the BRICS summit. Therefore, South Africa is considering circumventing arrest measures against Putin by changing the venue of the event.

The International Criminal Court, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, is an independent international judicial body established on 1998 July 7 by the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court with jurisdiction over persons accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

In response to Putin's arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, Russia expressed strong opposition, calling it a piece of waste paper. TASS previously reported that Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, while attending the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum, said that the ICC's move increased tensions and created preconditions for the outbreak of war.

However, because the ICC has as many as 123 signatories, and most European countries are signatories, this still constrains Putin's international space for maneuver. Putin cannot enter ICC arrest warrants until they are revoked or signatories have withdrawn from the ICC or granted specific exemptions through domestic legislation.

Putin's arrest warrant is in trouble to go to the BRICS summit South Africa or turn to China to host Russia: Putin and Erdogan will meet, Putin arrest warrant is in the palace: Russia will participate in the South African summit as appropriate