Nairobi, Kenya: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has said it will ignore the resolutions made by the African Union concerning the charges facing President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto. Photo PPS
African heads of state were meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the African Union Summit where they discussed among other things, the desire to pull out of the ICC.
The leaders passed a resolution urging theInternational Criminal Court ( ICC) to refer crime against humanity cases against PresidentUhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Rutoback to Kenya.
They also resolved that ICC has gone out of its mandate and was engaged in witch-hunt, adding that 99 percent of cases before the court are against Africans.
The court in response argued that the AUdecisions are political.
“ICC is a judicial institution and doesn’t take political matters into consideration when deciding on cases related to serious and grave crimes allegedly committed in Kenya,” said ICC spokes person Maria Camara.
The court added: “The ICC is an independent institution and is not bound by AU resolutions. The ICC relationship with the AU is based on shared objectives of fighting impunity and bringing justice to victims of crime.”
The court emphasised that ICC- AU relation will continue to be a strong operational one noting that States Party to the Rome Statute have legal obligations under international law to fully cooperate with the ICC.
Africa has 34 states that are parties to the Rome Statute.
The court based at The Hague said that decisions leading to signing of the Rome Statute were sovereign and are based on shared objectives of fighting impunity and bringing justice to victims.
