LET THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT DO ITS WORK

By Desmond Tutu and Wangari Maathai Reprint | | Print |

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NAIROBI, Jun 4 2009 (IPS) - Representatives of African States will meet in Addis Ababa (June 8-9) to “exchange views” on the International Criminal Court (ICC). Prompted by the war crimes indictment of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, the meeting will provide a platform for the Court’s dissenters in Africa, and aim to sew discord among ICC supporters.

The meeting appears to be driven by African leaders who claim the ICC is unfairly targeting African leaders and engaging in a new form of western colonialism. They claim that the ICC indictment against al-Bashir will impede peace in Sudan. Meanwhile, the real focus seems to be protecting the Sudanese president who has been accused of the worst kind of atrocities.

We are deeply concerned by the ongoing violence, displacement, and repression in Sudan ­and we support the role of the International Criminal Court in bringing justice and accountability for the peoples of Sudan. We are hopeful that the work of the Court will help break the cycles of violence and the culture of silence in the Darfur region of that country. We urge the international community ­all of Sudan’s neighbors and friends- to join in the support for the ICC’s role in Sudan.

We are deeply disheartened by the Sudanese government’s response to the March 4, 2009 issuance of an arrest warrant for President Omar Al-Bashir. By expelling and restricting humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and relief workers in the desperate Darfur region, the Government of Sudan has further endangered the estimated 4.7 million people in the region who rely on food, medical and water aid. The expelled organizations are responsible for at least 50 percent of this aid.

The international community must come together to find a way forward and to help Darfuris, and all Sudanese, find justice and peace. We call on leaders to dramatically step up efforts to negotiate an end to the violence in Darfur, actively involving the armed groups and the Sudanese government. The Sudanese women who have been building the path to peace through their dialogue and consultation efforts must be at the peace table. We believe that progress in the peace talks must happen in tandem with the ICC’s work for justice.

After more than five years of horrific violence and insecurity, displacement and brutal sexual violence, the people ­and particularly the women­ of Darfur deserve more than the negotiating warlords forgiving each other for the violence they have perpetrated primarily against women, children and other non-combatants. There can be no real peace without justice -and the people of Darfur deserve and have clearly vocalized a desire for justice and accountability.

We are convinced that the ICC is an effective vehicle towards achieving justice on a global level. The ICC has the potential to prevent and reduce the deaths and devastation caused by violent conflict and abuses of power. The victims of every nation deserve access to justice, and the ICC provides a forum for those who have nowhere else to turn. It would be a shame if this week’s meetings in Addis were to undermine the Court’s potential before it can get off the ground.

The true leaders of this continent have nothing to fear from the International Criminal Court. We need strong institutions, good governance, and the protection of human rights to tackle the many challenges we face in Africa, and the ICC can play an important role -if we let it. So as African states meet this week, we hope they will do just that, and let the Court do its work. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

(*) Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She is a co-founder of the Nobel Women’s Initiative and the Greenbelt Movement. Wole Soyinka was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. He is the author of numerous novels, plays, essays, films and poetry collections. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1984. He chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is currently the chairman of The Elders.