ICC has announced withdrawal of all charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya. While some have applauded this decision many have stated great disappointment and frustration with the effectiveness of ICC. Excerpt: ... The failed case has also severely damaged the reputation of the ICC in Kenya, where many people do still want to see justice served for the 2007-2008 violence. And across Africa, the ICCs reputation has become toxic: The African Union has repeatedly criticized the court and threatened to pull out of its jurisdiction en masse, while Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, also charged by the ICC, continues to refuse to visit the court and disparages its authority (in 2009, Bashir said that the ICC was a Western plot against Sudan and that he would eat his arrest warrant). Its unclear how the ICC can remedy this — some experts are now calling for a big reorganization of the court. Its also worth remembering, however, what the ICC lacks one important attribute that more successful ad hoc courts like the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia have: The financial backing and clout of the United States. President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Treaty to help create the ICC, but George W. Bush subsequently pulled out of the court, fearful that American citizens could be targeted by the court. If U.S. citizens ever want a sitting head of state to face trial, they may want their government to reconsider that. Is it time to kiss ICC goodbye?
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 13:05:32 +0000
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