S. Africa to withdraw from ICC
UNITED NATIONS — South Africa has decided to withdraw from the International Criminal Court following a dispute last year over a visit by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the tribunal for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
The decision comes after ment even acted in line with another African nation, its own laws for leaving the Burundi, this week signed court," Mavhinga said. legislation to become the A copy of South Africa's first to withdraw from the ICC "Instrument of Withdrawal," — raising concerns that dated Wednesday states have begun to act on and signed by Foreign Minister years of threats to leave over Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, what they call the court's was obtained Thursday disproportionate targeting by The Associated of the continent. Press.
"It's important both for It states that South Africa South Africa and the region "has found that its obligations that this runaway train be with respect to the slowed down," Dewa peaceful resolution of conflicts Mavhinga, Human Rights at times are incompatible Watch's Africa division with the interpretation senior researcher, said in a given by the International statement Friday. Criminal Court of obligations
"Questions remain contained in the Rome Statute" about whether the govern- which established the court.
Under the Rome Statute, South Africa as a party to the ICC has an obligation to arrest anyone sought by the tribunal.
The charges against alBashir stem from the bloodshed in Sudan's western Darfur region, which began in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum, accusing it of discrimination and neglect. The United Nations says 300,000 people have died in the conflict and 2.7 million have fled their homes.
In June 2015, al-Bashir went to South Africa to attend an African Union summit but the government didn't arrest him. A provincial court ordered him to remain in the country while judges deliberated on whether he should be arrested on the ICC warrants, but al-Bashir left for Sudan before the court ruled that he should indeed be arrested. The Supreme Court of Appeal later described the government's failure to arrest alBashir as "disgraceful conduct."
The government said in a statement in late June 2015 that it would consider withdrawing from the International Criminal Court as a "last resort" following the dispute over al-Bashir. It cited "contradictions" in the statute and said South Africa would have found it difficult to arrest al-Bashir because of treaty obligations to the African Union.