Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu has taken to the internet to try and persuade Africans that they shouldn’t allow their leaders to take the continent out of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In an impassioned plea on popular petition site Avaaz.org, Tutu explains why he thinks African politicians are trying to pull out of the ICC because of a “guilty conscience”.
African leaders are due to meet on Friday in Addis Ababa to discuss membership of the ICC, as part of an African Union summit. Kenya’s current president and vice-president are both due to stand trial at the ICC in The Netherlands for their part in the post election violence of 2008 in which thousands died. President Uhuru Kenyatta’s hearing is due to commence in November. Vice president William Ruto’s trial was suspended last month in order to allow the politician to return to Kenya during the Westgate Mall attacks.
In the wake of those attacks, Kenyatta has been presenting himself as a voice of national unity – a message welcomed by many commentators.
Along with leaders such as Omar al-Bashir from Sudan – who has been indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the civil war – the Kenyan government is encouraging the AU to pull out of the ICC, accusing it of racism, since most investigations opened since its creation in 2002 have been against Africans.
Critics of the proposal to pull out point out that while eight cases have been opened against Africans, half of those charges were brought to the court by people from the continent unable to seek justice in their own countries.
Tutu remains one of South Africa’s most important voices, and commands enormous respect internationally where he was one of most widely recognised voices of anti-apartheid struggle after Nelson Mandela. Along with Kofi Anan, the former general secretary of the United Nations, he has praised the work of the ICC and says that those who wish to undermine it want “the freedom to kill, rape, and inspire hatred without consequences”.
In my years of work, life and travel, the fight for justice has been a long and arduous one. I have seen the very worst in Darfur and Rwanda, but also the very best with the reconciliation in South Africa. During this journey, I have seen great gains made that protect the weak from the strong and give us all hope. The ICC is one of these beacons of hope.
Tutu says he hopes a million people will sign his petition, which will be delivered to the AU summit on Friday. You can find it here. The South African government will be at the summit on Friday, but hasn’t revealed whether or not it will be voting in favour of the motion to leave the ICC.
While Avaaz has been dismissed as ‘clicktivism’ by some, it has claimed a part in several key decision making exercises internationally over the years, including a UN mandate to protect elephant species in 2010.
(Image credit, Elke Wetzig, Wikicommons)
