News / Africa
'Arrest Omar al-Bashir‚ just not on SA soil'
16 Jun 2015 at 06:37hrs | Views
South Africa was "not obliged" to arrest President Omar al-Bashir as the International Criminal Court (ICC) "is a blunt instrument of foreign policy manipulated at the behest of Western powers to target poor African and Asian states".
That's according to the Higher Education Transformation Network's alumni (HETN)‚ which condemned an "interim court order and interdict"‚ and "unfortunate final judgement" issued by the North Gauteng High Court against the Sudanese leader.
Bashir flew out of South Africa on Monday‚ dodging a court order for him to stay as judges weighed up whether he should be arrested over alleged war crimes and genocide‚ and a later order for him to be apprehended.
While making clear that the HETN did not "support the actions of…Bashir and the alleged crimes perpetrated under his rule‚ we reject the demands by the ICC‚ United Nations (UN)and western powers for South Africa's territorial integrity to be abused and undermined through the placement of Al Bashir into lawful custody on the Republic's territorial soil".
Ther HETN statement went on to encourage government "to unilaterally denounce South Africa's co-signatory status to the Rome Treaty of 1 July 2002".
"We agree fully with the governing party that the ICC is no longer useful as a court of last resort due to the selective prosecution of crimes against humanity and the voluntary compliance nature of the ICC's prescripts which have allowed the proliferation of international bullying and impunity by certain world powers‚ which are non-signatories to the Rome Treaty‚" said the HETN.
"Until the statutes of the ICC are successfully reviewed to compel all member states of the UN to be signatories to the Rome Treaty of 1 July 2002‚ then South Africa should reject any undue pressures and attempts to undermine its sovereignty on the matter.
"Western powers and the ICC are free to voluntarily arrest Bashir at all times utilising (their) own resources and on their own territorial soil."
That's according to the Higher Education Transformation Network's alumni (HETN)‚ which condemned an "interim court order and interdict"‚ and "unfortunate final judgement" issued by the North Gauteng High Court against the Sudanese leader.
Bashir flew out of South Africa on Monday‚ dodging a court order for him to stay as judges weighed up whether he should be arrested over alleged war crimes and genocide‚ and a later order for him to be apprehended.
While making clear that the HETN did not "support the actions of…Bashir and the alleged crimes perpetrated under his rule‚ we reject the demands by the ICC‚ United Nations (UN)and western powers for South Africa's territorial integrity to be abused and undermined through the placement of Al Bashir into lawful custody on the Republic's territorial soil".
"We agree fully with the governing party that the ICC is no longer useful as a court of last resort due to the selective prosecution of crimes against humanity and the voluntary compliance nature of the ICC's prescripts which have allowed the proliferation of international bullying and impunity by certain world powers‚ which are non-signatories to the Rome Treaty‚" said the HETN.
"Until the statutes of the ICC are successfully reviewed to compel all member states of the UN to be signatories to the Rome Treaty of 1 July 2002‚ then South Africa should reject any undue pressures and attempts to undermine its sovereignty on the matter.
"Western powers and the ICC are free to voluntarily arrest Bashir at all times utilising (their) own resources and on their own territorial soil."
Source - TimesLive
