UN Security Council ‘cause of anti-Africa bias’ in world rights court
THE negative perception of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as unfairly targeting Africans had more to do with the actions of the United Nations Security Council than the court, South Africa’s Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel said this week.The ICC is viewed by many as a key institution in the fight against impunity — the ability of war criminals and those responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity to evade justice.But it has also been the subject of intense criticism, not least because all the ICC’s cases so far, both investigations and prosecutions, have been against Africans. Other prosecutions, such as in Balkan state war crimes, have been conducted by special tribunals outside the ICC.Former commissioner of the African Union Jean Ping said in 2009: "We think there is a problem with the ICC targeting only Africans, as if Africa is a place to experiment with their ideas."South Africa has always supported the ICC and has incorporated the Rome Stature, which esta...
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