[ 2017-02-17 ]

Kofi Bentil, Vice President of Policy Think Tank, IMANI Ghana

Bentil backs AU withdrawal from ICC
All African countries must pull out of the
International Criminal Court (ICC) and subscribe
to an equivalent judicial structure in Africa,
Kofi Bentil, vice president of policy think tank
IMANI Africa, has suggested.

The African Union (AU) in January 2017 called for
a mass withdrawal of member states from the ICC
but the decision is not binding on all countries,
with Nigeria and Senegal kicking against the
suggestion.

South Africa and Burundi have already withdrawn
amid the long-held perception across Africa that
the ICC has been set-up to witch-hunt Africans
while leaders from other continents found guilty
of committing similar crimes are let off the
hook.

The ICC, which came into force in 2002, was set up
to prosecute and bring to justice those
responsible for crimes including genocide, crimes
against humanity, and war crimes.

Mr Bentil is of the strong belief that the AU
“had no business signing up for it (the ICC)”
especially when the US refused to commit to it.

“As far as I am concerned, if they did it in the
past, then maybe they did it to show good faith;
it is time to withdraw from the ICC,” he told
Etse Sikanku, on the Friday February 17 edition of
World Affairs on Class91.3FM.

He was quick to add that he was “not in favour
of any African despot being allowed to go free”,
saying: “Africa should deal with them here
within an African construct and again that is
where the African High Command and its judicial
wing should come into play.”

Journalism lecturer and international journalist
Esther Armah, who was a guest on the show, was of
the same view that Africa needed a functional
judicial entity to replace the ICC, which has been
a target for only African leaders.

Source - classfmonline.com

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