IS International Criminal Court Too Focused on Africa?

By Noah Feldman The new South Africa has been a bastion of respect for human rights, and its decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court is a sign that something is terribly wrong with the tribunal. And it’s no secret: Since 2005, when it first issued arrest warrants, the court has indicted 39 people, every…

Why African states have started leaving the ICC

FILE – In this Monday, Jan. 6, 2014 file photo, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir speaks after meeting with South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, in the capital Juba, South Sudan. South Africa has decided to withdraw… (AP Photo/Ali Ngethi, File)  By CARA ANNA JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Until this week, no country had withdrawn from the International Criminal…

AFTER BURUNDI, WHICH OTHER AFRICAN STATES COULD ABANDON THE ICC?

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza took another step towards becoming a global outlier on Tuesday. The controversial leader signed a decree to quit the International Criminal Court (ICC), following a parliamentary vote to that effect earlier in October. The decree retracted Burundi’s participation in the Rome Statute, on which the court’s authority is founded. The Burundian…

Why so many African leaders hate the International Criminal Court

By Adam Taylor , The Washington Post Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, center, seen during the “family photograph” taken at the A.U. Summit in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 14.  (Kim Ludbrook/EPA) When the International Criminal Court was established in 2002, there was little doubt that the theory behind it was noble. The multilateral treaty that resulted in the court,…

Why South Africa let Bashir get away

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir [AFP] A provisional court order was issued on Sunday to prevent Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir from leaving South Africa where he had been attending the African Union (AU) summit. This provision catapulted South Africa into the heat of the international news media’s spotlight. Regardless of the effectiveness of this court order, the…