South Africa says it is pulling out of the the International Criminal Court (ICC), making the country the second this week, after Burundi, to move to leave the tribunal that pursues the world’s worst atrocities.
South African diplomats delivered a formal notice of withdrawal from the Rome Statute to the United Nations in New York on Thursday. This is the formal beginning of a year-long process to complete withdrawal.
In the notice, South Africa outlined the court’s perceived biases against African states, and highlighted the dilemma it faced when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir – wanted for war crimes by the ICC – attended an African Union summit in Johannesburg last year.
At the time, the South African government argued diplomatic conventions around immunity for heads of state trumped its legal obligation to arrest Bashir.
That argument has been challenged by civil society organisations, and is due to be heard in the South African Constitutional Court in November.
Burundi appeared set to become first state to withdraw from the Rome statute, the 1998 treaty establishing the global court, after its parliament voted last week to leave. The president, Pierre Nkurunziza, signed a decree on Tuesday, but the UN has not yet been officially notified.
Burundi’s parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, a move no other country has taken despite complaints from Africa that the court disproportionately targets the continent.
Only two lawmakers voted in favour of staying under the jurisdiction of the Dutch-based ICC, while 94 voted against and 14 abstained.
Several African countries have expressed concern that the focus of the Hague-based court has been on Africa rather than elsewhere in the world.
Interesting.
Yet in Zambia, the PF government through Lewis Mosho have written to the ICC to prosecute HH and GBM over alleged crimes.
It does sound nice and even patriotic. However, imagine if the world stood by and watched while Apartheid was dehumanizing blacks in SA. Instead of leaving the court we should instead be asking that all rogue leaders face the court. At the end of the day its poor people who will never see justice for bad treatment by rogue leaders.
But Ba Ngolwa, these guys have not called any of the perpetrators of the Apartheid era. My believe is that they are targeting black Africans. Africa must start resolving its on issues. These guys did not develop over night, it took many years, of slavery looting our resources. Africa must stand together.
@Wina how many issues have you resolved so far you failed to resolve a simple election petition
Africans never learn. Blacks in South Africa were rescued by international pressure against apartheid. Now they want to subjugate other black people by isolating themselves from international justice. Kenyatta and his tribal Kikuyu supremacists should have been handed over to ICC. Al-Bashir is just another racist bloodthirsty Arab who does not give jack for blacks like Zuma. Why protect him?
We need to Decolonise things, why can’t the entire Africa fail to set up a court to deal with its issues. Are we not old enough and have to run to Europe to decide things for us.
There is a reason the US is not a member of the ICC and the US has failed to prosecute George W Bush for his crimes that keeps eating Iraq away to this day
I hope Zambia follows next. Let the AU setup its own court
That will never happen. AU is a club of African dictators who pat each other on the backs while subjugating their citizens. Nothing good will ever come out of AU.
I wish Zambia can follow suit
We will apply for withdrawal after HH and GBM cases are concluded. They need to account for Namwala issues
Ur own con court fails th test of time to be ptial an u say africans can solve their own problems are u sure u can do that
GOOD MOVE!! IT’S ABOUT TIME.
Until I see 6lair, 6ush, & 6erlusconi – the Unholy 666 trinity @ the Hague, for me It’s just a tool for persecution of Non Western mainly Non Anglo Saxon leaders.
Atrocities by Ian Smith, Botha, & other monsters who brutalized mainly people of colour, are NEVER looked into.
Iraq, & the Middle East is burning as we speak, & no docket opened @ the Hague for the Unholy trinity.
Good move Zambia should surely follow. If i was in a position of direct power i would have made sure
Why? You have done something which merits intervention of ICC?
HAGUE is too biased,why only target African states?
Any other African country I would have cheered…not the corrupt Zuma and his country of dull docile ill educated black South Africans who only see fellow Africans as their enemy.
Jacob Zuma may have something up his sleeve to avoid the local courts…
Which other African country is not corrupt. Zambia is more corrupt than SA. I don’t see anything in Zambia which shows that Zambians are more educated than South Africans. Please take a shower before posting stupid comments, your armpits are smelling as far as Pretoria
Amnesty International, ICC have failed to prosecute George W Bush but are hard on Africans. No American has ever been convicted on war crimes. However these organizations are essential if only they were impartial
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