The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an institution set up to try people who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and brutal crimes. It was created to make the world a fairer place, and to ensure that criminals are brought to justice. In a society, there are always conflicts, and for that, it’s necessary to have a justice system to judge the guilty and draw fair conclusions.
The ICC is governed by the Rome Statute. It is the first permanent treaty-based international criminal court to help end impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. In addition, 123 countries are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC. There are currently 123 signatories to the Rome Statute, including 33 from Africa, 19 from Asia, 18 from Eastern Europe and 25 from the Caribbean.
The ICC was created in 2002 with the aim of ending impunity for the most serious criminals and promoting respect for international rights.
Is the ICC a fair and impartial court?
However, the ICC is rigorously criticized for its selectivity and lack of fairness in its prosecutions. It seems to focus mainly on African criminals, while war criminals from other parts of the world, such as the USA, Israel, Russia and China, are not tried by this court. African countries such as Zimbabwe and Rwanda have expressed their disagreement with the way justice is dispensed by the ICC. Other countries, such as Burundi, have decided not to join, arguing that George Bush and Tony Blair, who committed mass crimes, have not been tried.
Read more: South Africa renews its decision to leave the ICC
Some countries see the ICC as an instrument of foreign powers whose aim is to prosecute only those Africans who resist their interests. Indeed, some of the NGOs sponsoring the ICC are owned by influential figures such as George Soros, raising doubts about the Court’s neutrality. The United States and other major powers remain beyond the reach of international prosecution, while African leaders are regularly indicted. So, if certain African leaders are not punished despite their crimes, it’s because they somehow meet the needs of Westerners.
What’s more, blacks are always put in charge of such institutions so as not to make the decisions taken look racist. It’s all about manipulation, because the blacks will feel that the person at the top doesn’t want to hurt them, because they’re of the same origin. An analogy that seems to be proving false under the circumstances.
The need for African collaboration to promote genuine justice
With this in mind, it would be wise to call for greater solidarity and collaboration between African countries. It would be more beneficial for Africans to set up their own justice platforms to try their own criminals and work together as a community to fight impunity and promote genuine international justice.
In the final analysis, far from calling the ICC useless, it is important to understand that the international justice system must be fair and not selective according to the political interests of foreign powers. Cooperation and solidarity between African nations could contribute to a better administration of justice and the establishment of the rule of law on the continent.
Totally inspired by Zack Mwekassa’s video
