#GlobalJustice Weekly: Gambia joins ICC withdrawals
World rallies around the ICC as Gambia joins withdrawals
The Gambian information minister’s announcement last week that the West African country intends to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) is detrimental to many African victims of grave international crimes search for justice.
Citing a perceived anti-African bias in ICC prosecutions, the message mirrored rhetoric used by the governments of South Africa and Burundi, both of which have now delivered official notifications to the UN Secretary-General of their intent to withdraw from the Rome Statute system.
The volume of opposition to these withdrawals has only grown in recent weeks, with civil society and governments uniting to support the Court and its reforms in the light of criticism. Civil society was quick to point out that the Court is far from only focused on Africa. The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) was among those to question the rationale provided by the withdrawing African governments.
As many as ten African governments can already be counted on to continue their support for the Court and their divergence from the recent withdrawal announcements. Among these, Botswana and Sierra Leone have been especially vocal.
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