ROME STATUTE
SA makes intention clear about pulling out of criminal court
The Rome Statute undermined SA’s autonomy, Justice Michael Masutha said on Tuesday when he justified why the country was pulling out of the International Criminal Court (ICC). SA has written the office of the UN secretary-general, indicating its intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute, of which the country is a signatory and which compels it to arrest those persons wanted for crimes against humanity. SA failed to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2015 when he attended an AU summit in the country. The Southern African Litigation Centre took the matter to the High Court in Pretoria, which issued an interim order, stating Al-Bashir should remain in the country. This was ignored. In a later ruling the high court condemned the state’s handling of the saga and ruled against it. It appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeal, but withdrew the application to the court. The Department of Justice on Tuesday presented its Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act Repeal Bi...
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