BRAZIL’S LULA BACKTRACKS ON PUTIN ARREST SAFETY AT RIO G20

Mon 11  September 2023:

The president of Brazil has withdrawn his word that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be detained if he visits the Group of 20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro next year, stating the judiciary will make the decision.

President Lula also questioned Brazil’s membership in the United Nations war crimes court, saying on Monday that “emerging countries often sign things that are detrimental to them”.

“I want to know why we are members but not the United States, not Russia, not India, not China,” Lula said.

“I’m not saying I’m going to leave the court. I just want to know why Brazil is a signatory.”

Putin missed this year’s G20 gathering in the Indian capital, New Delhi, avoiding possible criticism over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and any risk of criminal detention under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.

The ICC announced the arrest warrant for Putin in March over the Russian president’s suspected involvement in the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.

Brazil is a signatory to the Rome Statute, which led to the founding of the ICC and obliges members to comply with its arrest warrants.

Lula raised eyebrows at the weekend when he told Indian news network Firstpost: “If I’m the president of Brazil and if he [Putin] comes to Brazil, there’s no way that he will be arrested.”

Amid the criticism, Lula changed tack on Monday at a press conference in Brazil, telling reporters that he didn’t know if Putin would be detained in the South American nation.

“It’s the judiciary that decides, it’s not the government,” Lula said.