SA tried in vain to advocate change in the International Criminal Court (ICC) before opting out, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha said. Participating in a debate on the programme, The Stream, on Al Jazeera Masutha said SA’s exit from the ICC was prompted less by perceived bias and more by legal difficulties experienced in dealing with the court. He cited the issue of diplomatic immunity as one of the sticking points. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was used as an example during the debate. The ICC has issued two warrants for his arrest. In 2015, when Bashir visited SA for the AU summit‚ the high court ruled that he should not be allowed to leave the country until an application calling for his arrest had been heard. Bashir left anyway‚ but earlier in 2016 the Supreme Court upheld the high court ruling‚ dismissing the South African government’s claim that all delegates attending the summit were subject to diplomatic immunity. "We were under the erroneous i...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.