News / National
Chinamasa rejects ICC ratification
25 Oct 2011 at 13:33hrs | Views
The Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Patrick Chinamasa says Zimbabwe has outrightly rejected the ratification of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Chinamasa attended the 12th Session of the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights in all United Nations member states in Geneva, Switzerland earlier this month where he presented a report on the state of implementation of human rights programmes in various areas which include gender equality, access to education, health, children's rights, freedom of the media, personal freedoms, and socio-economic and cultural rights among others.
After hearing the state of human rights in the country from Minister Chinamasa, the country received several recommendations from various UN member states.
Among the recommendations were that Zimbabwe should recognise gay rights, reform its security sector, and amend AIPPA and POSA, recommendations which Zimbabwe rejected.
Out of the 179 recommendations, Zimbabwe accepted 81, dismissed some and agreed to consider others.
On the request to ratify the existence and implementation of the ICC in the Hague, Chinamasa said Zimbabwe refused to ratify it citing the reason that the international institution is being used by the western powers to punish purported dictators from Africa, Latin America and former eastern bloc countries.
"One of the recommendations was that we should ratify the wrong statutes on the International Criminal Court. That we rejected for the sole reason that the ICC is competely discredited, it has tarnished its own image by selective application of international law," said Chinamasa.
He said while the Bush and Blair administrations have committed serious crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the world, they have been left free.
Chinamasa attended the 12th Session of the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights in all United Nations member states in Geneva, Switzerland earlier this month where he presented a report on the state of implementation of human rights programmes in various areas which include gender equality, access to education, health, children's rights, freedom of the media, personal freedoms, and socio-economic and cultural rights among others.
After hearing the state of human rights in the country from Minister Chinamasa, the country received several recommendations from various UN member states.
Among the recommendations were that Zimbabwe should recognise gay rights, reform its security sector, and amend AIPPA and POSA, recommendations which Zimbabwe rejected.
Out of the 179 recommendations, Zimbabwe accepted 81, dismissed some and agreed to consider others.
On the request to ratify the existence and implementation of the ICC in the Hague, Chinamasa said Zimbabwe refused to ratify it citing the reason that the international institution is being used by the western powers to punish purported dictators from Africa, Latin America and former eastern bloc countries.
"One of the recommendations was that we should ratify the wrong statutes on the International Criminal Court. That we rejected for the sole reason that the ICC is competely discredited, it has tarnished its own image by selective application of international law," said Chinamasa.
He said while the Bush and Blair administrations have committed serious crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the world, they have been left free.
Source - zbc
