South Africa grants diplomatic immunity to attendees of BRICS conferences

JOHANNESBURG, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa said Tuesday that it will provide diplomatic immunity to all attendees of the two meetings involving BRICS.

"This is a standard conferment of immunities that we do for all international conferences and summits held in South Africa irrespective of the level of participation. The immunities are for the conference and not for specific individuals," the department said in a statement.

The announcement came after the department issued a notice in the government gazette Monday in terms of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act for the upcoming BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Cape Town in June and the BRICS summit to be held in Johannesburg in August.

"They are meant to protect the conference and its attendees from the jurisdiction of the host country for the duration of the conference. These immunities do not override any warrant that may have been issued by any international tribunal against any attendee of the conference," the statement said.

BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market bloc that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. South Africa assumed the BRICS presidency on Jan. 1, 2023, taking over from China.