IS THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC) BIASED AGAINST AFRICA

IS THE ICC ONLY FOR AFRICA? WHY IS THE USA NOT A SIGNATORY TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS COURT?

  
CLIK THE LINK &LISTEN TO THIS BBC INTERESTING  DEBATE.

 THANKS TO SIERRA HERALD - 30 MARCH 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/p00q9kwj/


 The BBC Africa Debate discusses the International Criminal Court, the ICC and asks - Is Africa on trial by the ICC? This interesting, very interesting debate was done on location in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and it is good listening. Good listening because we would want to recall President Ernest Bai Koroma's reminder in the run-up to the November elections that he has invited the ICC to be around
at that time.

Is Africa on trial at the International Criminal Court? When it comes to international justice - is the continent on trial? Why does it always appear that it is only African rogues that are frog-marched to the bowels of the court? Is this to assume therefore that this court was set up to try Africans only given the way it conducts its business of bringing human rights abusers, despots and anti-democratic villains to justice?

Or are we missing something here? Well according to an introduction to the debate on the BBC Africa Debate website, we have this -

While human rights advocates and victims of human rights violations appreciate the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in international justice, some politicians and experts have accused the international court of placing undue emphasis on Africa. Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, whose government had earlier referred the LRA rebel group case to the ICC, complained that, while Africa supported and participated in the formation of the court, "the way it is being implemented [makes] it seem like it is only Africans committing crimes".
...."Why are African leaders not celebrating this focus on African victims?" asked former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who mediated Kenya's post-election crisis. "Is the court's failure to help victims outside Africa a reason to leave the calls of African victims unheeded?"
The ICC's incoming chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda is, from The Gambia says - if anything, the focus on the continent "shows commitment by African leaders to international criminal justice - African governments are saying impunity must end". Some critics, however, have gone as far as accusing the ICC of politicising justice in Africa and undermining other alternatives such as reconciliation and traditional justice.

On the panel to answer questions from the public from all sides are, among others - Fadi El Abdallah - Spokesperson & Head of the Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, Barney Afako - Ugandan lawyer and expert on transitional justice and Donald Deya - Chief Executive of the Pan African Lawyers Union.

The programme is hosted by Akwasi Sarpong and Karen Allen.

Kindly listen to the debate on this LINK and then decide if the ICC is relevant to Africa - a continent that seems to grow, groom and gather human rights abusers from every quarter and in every form. You decide and if you have a comment then visit the website of the Africa Debate programme and get things off your chest. Say what you think.

Kindly take a look at the pictures above. On the left is the DRC's Thomas Lubanga who is the first to be convicted by the International Criminal Court, the ICC. On the right is our very own smoke and mirrors President who boasted that he has invited the ICC to take a look at the situation on the ground in Sierra Leone as the country prepares for General Elections in November 2012.

We do hope the ICC is watching what is going on now in the run-up to these crucial elections.