African Union's ICC push back likely to continue under Mugabe

AMNESTY International says increasing power of radical groups such as Nigeria's Boko Haram in Africa is one of the main concerns in its 2014 annual report launched at the Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Thursday, 25th February.

The organisation's Deputy Regional Directory, Deprose Muchena, says freedom of expression, assembly and association is under severe attack from governments and armed groups, warning that if nothing is done, these violations are likely to continue ahead of the 19 elections scheduled for Africa in 2015.


The area of justice and accountability is also regarded as another major concern, as some African Union (AU) members mobilised in championing immunity to challenge the International Criminal Court (ICC) against prosecuting several head of states from international crimes in 2014. According to Deputy Director Noel Kututwa, this push back is likely to continue under Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's leadership of the AU and Southern African Development Community.

The campaign group made a call for the five permanent members of the United Nation Security Council to suspend their veto power where mass atrocities are being committed.