News / Africa
Pan African parliament wants Africa out of ICC
25 Jun 2015 at 07:58hrs | Views
THE Pan African Parliament has called on all African States to pull out of the International Criminal Court (ICC) citing the organisation's bias against African leaders.
Pan African Parliament (PAP) member and Chiefs council president, Chief Fortune Charumbira said PAP parliamentarians recently suggested at a meeting that Africa should come up with its own mechanisms of solving its own problems.
Chief Charumbira said the meeting recommended that African nations should come up with an alternative to the ICC which respects the values and principles of African governments.
"PAP is of the view that Africa should have its own mechanisms of solving its problems. We're pushing for an independent African court to replace ICC and PAP is urging African governments to consider pulling out of the body," said Chief Charumbira.
He said PAP was seized with the matters affecting ICC and that there was a conviction that the body is being used by some powerful nations.
"There was a lot of debate in the PAP about the ICC and its effect on African nations. During the debate it was clear that ICC is being used and manipulated by the Western countries to further their interests ahead of African countries. There's a selective application of justice," he said.
PAP's position comes in the wake of an attempt to arrest Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir while he was attending an African Union summit in South Africa last week, at the instigation of the ICC who have issued a warrant of arrest.
However, the South African government did not implement the directive arguing that the AU was not the ICC headquarters.
Chief Charumbira said PAP expressed concern over the ICC's futile attempt to arrest President Bashir describing the development as an insult to Africa.
"PAP is advocating for a local court that deals with those who commit crime on the continent rather than taking the problems out of Africa for a solution. There is a conviction that the African Commission on Human and People's Rights set in 1987 which is headquartered in Gambia's capital, Banjul should be strengthened to deal with problems within the African continent. There haven't been lasting solutions to all conflicts attended to by the West in Africa like in Libya, Somalia and Sudan's Darfur region," he added.
The African Commission on Human and People's Rights is an international human right instrument meant to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms on the African continent.
Pan African Parliament (PAP) member and Chiefs council president, Chief Fortune Charumbira said PAP parliamentarians recently suggested at a meeting that Africa should come up with its own mechanisms of solving its own problems.
Chief Charumbira said the meeting recommended that African nations should come up with an alternative to the ICC which respects the values and principles of African governments.
"PAP is of the view that Africa should have its own mechanisms of solving its problems. We're pushing for an independent African court to replace ICC and PAP is urging African governments to consider pulling out of the body," said Chief Charumbira.
He said PAP was seized with the matters affecting ICC and that there was a conviction that the body is being used by some powerful nations.
PAP's position comes in the wake of an attempt to arrest Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir while he was attending an African Union summit in South Africa last week, at the instigation of the ICC who have issued a warrant of arrest.
However, the South African government did not implement the directive arguing that the AU was not the ICC headquarters.
Chief Charumbira said PAP expressed concern over the ICC's futile attempt to arrest President Bashir describing the development as an insult to Africa.
"PAP is advocating for a local court that deals with those who commit crime on the continent rather than taking the problems out of Africa for a solution. There is a conviction that the African Commission on Human and People's Rights set in 1987 which is headquartered in Gambia's capital, Banjul should be strengthened to deal with problems within the African continent. There haven't been lasting solutions to all conflicts attended to by the West in Africa like in Libya, Somalia and Sudan's Darfur region," he added.
The African Commission on Human and People's Rights is an international human right instrument meant to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms on the African continent.
Source - chronicle
