Civil Society Groups Slam AU’s Decision on ICC

(PANA)--More than 130 civil society and human rights groups across Africa issued a statement on Thursday, calling on African governments that are signatories to the International Criminal Court (ICC) convention to reaffirm their commitment and obligation to the court.

The statement follows a decision by the African Union (AU), at its summit in Sirte, Libya, in July, that its member states ‘shall not cooperate’ with the ICC in the arrest of President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan . The ICC issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on 4 March for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. ‘The AU decision that states should not cooperate with the ICC threatens to block justice for victims of the worst crimes committed on the continent,’ James Gondi of the Eastern Africa International Criminal Justice Initiative in Nairobi, Kenya, said in the statement. ‘We urge our governments to reaffirm their commitment to fighting impunity by supporting and cooperating with the ICC,’ Oby Nwankwo of Nigeria’s Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre, stated.

The AU decision is contrary to its own constitution, which rejects impunity, the statement said, noting that the AU decision was inconsistent with the obligations under the ICC statute that all governments must cooperate with the ICC in the arrest and surrender of criminal suspects. ‘The ICC remains a crucial court of last resort for Africa when national courts are unable or unwilling to bring justice for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes,’ said Anton du Plessis of South African Institute for Security Studies.

African governments were among the first states to ratify the Rome Statute, the agreement that led to creation of the ICC in 2002. Thirty African countries are now parties to the Rome Statute, representing a majority of AU member states. ‘African states were central to the establishment of the ICC and are essential to ensuring its success,’ said Georges Kapiamba of the Association Africaine de Défense des Droits de l’Homme (ASADHO) in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Civil society organisations from 30 African countries - with representation from each of Africa’s sub-regions - endorsed the statement urging governments to express their support and willingness to cooperate with the ICC. ‘Civil society organisations across Africa have united in their determination not to allow our leaders to forfeit Africa’s commitment to justice for victims of atrocities,’ said Comfort Ero of the International Center for Transitional Justice in South Africa

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