http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3861410/South-Africa-pulls-unfair-war-crimes-court-claiming-tribunal-unfairly-targets-Africans.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
South Africa pulls out of 'unfair' war crimes court after claiming
that the tribunal unfairly targets Africans
South Africa became second nation to tell the United Nations it will pull out
Said ICC focused on Africa despite 'evidence of violations by others'
The ICC was set up in July 2002 to prosecute genocide
By Daily Mail Reporter
Published: 19:59 EST, 21 October 2016 | Updated: 20:03 EST, 21 October 2016
South Africa is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court,
claiming the war crimes tribunal unfairly targets Africans.
It became the second nation to tell the United Nations it will pull
out, following Burundi, whose president Pierre Nkurunziza is accused
of murdering scores of opponents.
South Africa said that while it remained determined to tackle the
continent's dictators and warlords, the ICC's interpretation of its
duties was sometimes incompatible with the peaceful resolution of
conflicts.
South Africa is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court
(pictured), claiming the war crimes tribunal unfairly targets Africans
It accused the ICC of focusing on Africa despite 'clear evidence of
violations by others'. The move has outraged opposition parties and
campaign groups. There are fears other African nations, such as
Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, may follow.
The ICC was set up in July 2002 to prosecute genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes. It has 124 members.
All four of those to have been convicted by the court in The Hague are
Africans, as are all 32 who have been indicted.
'You must be white, you must be Christian. The time has
come...Elephant screams in agonising pain after being shot by a...
Attempts to refer other nations, including Syria, to the court have
been blocked by UN Security Council members Russia, China and the US.
A separate UN tribunal is dealing with war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.
The debate over withdrawal from the ICC is expected to be a 'hot
issue' at an African Union summit in January 2017 in Ethiopia, said
Oryem Okello, deputy foreign minister of a top African critic of the
court, Uganda.
It became the second nation to tell the United Nations it will pull
out, following Burundi, whose president Pierre Nkurunziza (far right)
is accused of murdering scores of opponents
'As a country, we are still undecided,' Okello said. 'We think the
matter is best decided as a bloc.'
South Africa's announcement is 'devastating' for the ICC and its
efforts to hold those responsible for alleged crimes against humanity
to account, said Mark Kersten, a Britain-based researcher.
'It is unclear if other states will follow South Africa's lead, but it
is clear that states are more likely to follow South Africa's lead
than Burundi, with whom many African states have tensions,' Kersten
said.
Kenya, Namibia and Uganda are among the countries that have indicated
interest in leaving the court, he said.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3861410/South-Africa-pulls-unfair-war-crimes-court-claiming-tribunal-unfairly-targets-Africans.html#ixzz4Nv05OwN3
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Received on Sun Oct 23 2016 - 10:26:34 EDT