JOHANNESBURG - The arrival of South African men who were stranded in Russia has placed them at the centre of a probe to determine how they ended up on the front lines of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Eleven men have already landed this Wednesday. They are part of the 17 who found themselves in the battle lines in the Russia-Ukraine war.
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The men are said to have been duped abroad with promises of employment.
Legal expert Melusi Xulu said the men may feel relieved to be alive and reunited with their families, but investigations will be intensified.
This is not only to determine how they travelled to Russia, but also whether they were aware they would be involved in military operations or not.
Xulu said if the men can prove that they were duped, it could strengthen their defence and potentially result in no charges being laid against them.
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He referred to South Africa’s Military Assistance Act.
The regulates the rendering of foreign military assistance by South African juristic persons, citizens, persons permanently resident within the Republic and foreign citizens rendering such assistance from within the borders of the Republic.
“I'm sure they have WhatsApp conversations, or maybe discussions with whoever was organising that. And I believe the person who told them that they are going to Russia to be trained as private bodyguards those are the people that must be brought to book for human trafficking,” he said.
Legal consequences may also extend to those who allegedly arranged the travel and recruitment.
Xulu said those individuals could potentially face charges related to human trafficking, rather than military assistance.
Again, it is dependent on whether the men can prove that they were duped.
“If we can just summarise what human trafficking is about, it's where someone uses someone and dupes them into thinking they're giving them a good opportunity, but they're actually enslaving them for money or for their time.
“So that would be a situation where they are actually victims of human trafficking,” he said.