BURUNDI BECOMES THE FIRST COUNTRY TO LEAVE ICC.

Burundi becomes first country to leave International Criminal Court

An ICC spokesman has confirmed that Burundi's pullout took effect on Friday, a year after the country notified the court of its intention to leave. Some African nations feel the ICC focuses too much on the continent.

Burundi has become the first country to pull out from the International Criminal Court after a one-year withdrawal process came to an end.

The country notified former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of its intent to leave the court on October 27, 2016, as one of three countries — along with South Africa and The Gambia — to make such moves last year.

Both South Africa and The Gambia later took back their withdrawals.

The ICC, which was established to prosecute the world's worst atrocities, has said Burundi's withdrawal does not affect the preliminary examination of the country's situation already being undertaken by the court's prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.

BENSOUDA IS THE FIRST AFRICAN TO BECOME ICC CHIEF PROSECUTOR.

Political turmoil:

Burundi, a former German and Belgian colony, has been in a state of deadly political turmoil since 2015, when protests broke out after the ruling party announced that President Pierre Nkurunziza would seek a third five-year term.

Protests and violence have continued since Nkurunziza was elected to the third term in a disputed election held on July 21, 2015, without the participation of the opposition.

A UN commission of inquiry said last month that crimes against humanity, including killings and sexual violence, were still being committed in Burundi. The commission asked the ICC to open an investigation as soon as possible.

Those implicated in the human rights abuses include top officials in Burundi's National Intelligence Services and police force, as well as military officials and members of the ruling party's youth branch, known as Imbonerakure. The ongoing violence and unrest have forced hundreds of thousands to leave the country.

Shielding perpetrators:

"Burundi's official withdrawal from the International Criminal Court is the latest expample of the government's deplorable efforts to shield those responsible for grave human rights violations from any kind of accountability," said Param-Preet Singh, Human Rights Watch's associated director of international justice in a statement.

Catherine Ray, a spokeswoman for the European Union's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, said that Burundi's withdrawal "marks a serious step backwards which risks further isolating the country within the international community."

Burundi's justice minister, Aimee Laurentine Kanyana, however called the ICC withdrawal "a great achievement" toward increased independence, while calling on police and prosecutors to respect human rights so that "white people" would not have "false proofs to rely on in accusing Burundi."

AU call for withdrawal

Many African nations have long accused the court of being biased against Africa, with the overwhelming majority of its investigations targeting the continent. In February 2017, the African Union (AU) called at a summit for a mass withdrawal of member states, but the resolution was not legally binding and was opposed by Nigeria and Senegal.

Following Burundi's withdrawal, a total of 33 African states are now signatories to the Rome Statute that is the foundation of the ICC, among 123 countries worldwide.

The United States, along with Israel, Sudan and Russia, have not ratified the statute, while other countries such as China and India have not even signed it.

SOURCE

dw.com

Comments

CUBA CLAIMS CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER IS FIDEL CASTRO'S SON.

The suicide note left by Fidel Castro’s eldest son has rocked the Cuban nation this week, with the most astonishing revelation being the claim that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was his half-brother and the son of the late Fidel Castro. The handwritten note left by Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, 68, the eldest of Fidel Castro’s children, appears to confirm the longstanding rumor in Cuba that Fidel Castro fathered Justin Trudeau after a public tryst with Margaret Trudeau in 1970. “ Castro Diaz-Balart, who had been attended by a group of doctors for several months due to a state of profound depression, committed suicide this morning ,” Cubadebate website reported. The death of the high-profile government nuclear scientist, also known as “Fidelito”, or Little Fidel, because of how much he looked like his father, stunned the nation, however it is his “ explosive ” suicide note that has set tongues wagging in Havana. Amid a wide-ranging barrage of complaint

PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA'S SON TO MARRY UGANDAN EX-PRIME MINISTER'S DAUGHTER.

Kampala, UGANDA: Former Uganda Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi is set to become an in-law at the Mahlamba Ndlopfu, the home of the new President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, SC (simply known as Amama Mbabazi , born 16 January 1949) is a Ugandan politician who served as the ninth Prime Minister of Uganda from 24 May 2011 to 19 September 2014. Image: NP. Mbabazi’s niece, Ms. Bridget Birungi Rwakairu who he raised after her father was killed in the 1980s, will soon be exchanging vows with the South African First Son Mr. Andile Ramaphosa, Mbabazi’s family announced yesterday. The wedding will be preceded by a traditional function known as “Okushaba” which will be held this weekend at Mbabazi’s home on Saturday. 36 year old Bridget Birungi Rwakairu is daughter to Shadrack Rwakairu and Peace Ruhindi. Rwakairu was murdered in 1983 by the UNLA soldiers just five years into his marriage with Mrs Ruhindi. In a statement, Mbab

RWANDA PRESIDENT KAGAME APPOINTMENTS WORLD YOUNGEST MINISTER(19-YEARS OLD).

Kigali, RWANDA: Rwandan President Paul Kagame has just appointed a 19-year-old boy as Minister. Patrick Nkuriza, 19, appointed Minister of New Technologies and Development of Rwanda by President Paul Kagame on Sunday. The Rwandan President who has always insisted on competence, nothing but competence, did not hesitate to materialize his famous saying which says: “ to well-born souls, value does not wait for the number of years”, by naming this young boy. Patrick, is prodigy who experienced a dramatic rise to the point of getting the baccalaureate at 14 and obtaining a PhD in digital communication engineer afterwards. Patrick is a real gifted person who has developed several applications which allow his country to make its activities very efficient in many economic fields. It is therefore right that he is appointed minister in his field. Patrick, who lives with his parents and goes to work accompanied by his father in his car escorted home. Also, it is her mother who washes her cl

PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA'S SON INSULTS EX-PRESIDENT ZUMA'S SON.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's son Tumelo has caused a social media flurry by calling former president Jacob Zuma's son Duduzane a "fool" in a bragging post on Instagram. Yesterday, Ramaphosa's spokeswoman Khusela Diko said Tumelo was a "grown man" who had to answer for himself for his actions. "The president, however, finds such behaviour extremely unfortunate and distasteful and not in keeping with the values he espouses or the manner in which he would expect anyone to conduct themselves." Tumelo, in a brief video posted on his account this week, which was later deleted, took a dig at the son of his father's predecessor after arriving at a Dubai hotel. The video, which had already been saved and was re-posted and retweeted several times by some Instagram and Twitter users, sparked debate. Some users questioned the lack of outrage at Tumelo's remarks and comments, with others speculating on what would have happene

WHY CHINA'S DOG-MEAT MARKET HAS EXPANDED.

Every year during the summer solstice, a dog-eating festival takes place in Yulin, a city in the southern Chinese province of Guangxi. This year’s event ended with the usual controversy. Photographs of dogs being fried or treated cruelly went viral. The Jinhua Hutou Dog Meat Festival, as it is called, was abruptly canceled last week. Animal-rights activists and American congressmen demanded that China ban the eating of dogs and cats, as Taiwan did in April. Yulin’s local government took modest steps to restrain or hide some of the more contentious activities, such as selling dogs in food markets. Still, the festival was packed. Why has the controversial culinary habit become so popular in China? Contrary to cliché, dog meat has not always been a common item in the Chinese diet. Unlike in the West, eating dogs has never been taboo, but it appears to have been rare in the past. Government accounts single out butchers who sold dog meat, suggesting it was unusu

ZIMBABWE'S VICE-PRESIDENT'S EX-WIFE GOES BANKRUPT.

Harare, ZIMBABWE: Constantino Chiwenga’s ex-wife, Jocelyn and her company Rugnet Ventures, has fallen on hard times and risks losing her residential property in Harare’s leafy Glen Lorne suburb after she failed to repay her $2,6 million CBZ Bank loan. General Constantino Chiwenga's former wife, Jocelyn. The latest development came nearly six years after Jocelyn concluded her messy divorce with the former military commander and shared their vast wealth equally. In summons filed at the High Court on March 9 this year, CBZ Bank cited Jocelyn, her companies Rugnet Ventures (Private) Ltd and Licybuster Investments (Private) Ltd, as co-respondents. The bank is represented by Musendekwa-Mtisi Legal Practitioners, while Jocelyn is self-acting. According to the court papers under case number HC2248/18, sometime in May 2014, the bank entered into a structured loan facility agreement with Rugnet Ventures for $1,3 million at the firm’s special instance and re

FORMER CHEF BECOMES A MULTI-MILLIONARE BY POSTING FITNESS PICTURES ON INSTAGRAM.

Perth, AUSTRALIA: A former chef is now making a fortune by sharing fitness photos and videos online. Jem Wolfie, from Perth, Western Australia, has 2.5 million followers on Instagram and says she can make up to $30,000 a day selling photos and videos on subscription site, OnlyFans. After leaving high school and fast-tracking an apprenticeship, the 27-year-old began working 70 hour weeks as a chef. However, she eventually became disillusioned and began seriously pursuing basketball, playing in the Western Australia Basketball League (WABL). But this path was derailed in 2015 when she suffered a serious knee injury. During her rehab, she started posting short videos online, and their popularity quickly ballooned. Now, she has amassed a huge following online and still regularly shares videos of basketball trick-shots. She's also making way more money than she used to, so perhaps that knee injury wasn't so unfortunate after all. Speaking to Perth Now, she said:

LETHOTO'S PRIME MINISTER FACES IMPEACHMENT MOTION OVER HIS WIFE'S ACT.

Lethoto Prime Minister Tom Thabane & The first Lady Maesaiah Thabane. Maseru, LETHOTO: Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane is facing a motion of no confidence for allegedly allowing his wife to meddle in government affairs, as political in-fighting rocks his ruling party and threatens the breakdown of his coalition government. The motion was filed in parliament this week by a member of Thabane's own ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC), raising the possibility he will call snap elections in the tiny mountainous southern African kingdom. "We hereby move a motion that this honourable house has no confidence in a government of Lesotho led by the Prime Minister Thomas Motsoahe Thabane," read a motion filed by ABC's Motebang Koma and seconded by the main opposition Democratic Congress deputy leader, Motlalentoa Letsosa. Parliament was adjourned on Monday with no date fixed for it to sit again. While the motion did not outline reasons fo

GHANAIAN TEACHER WHO DREW COMPUTER ON BLACKBOARD GETS MICROSOFT SUPPORT.

Ghanaian I.C.T teacher became an internet sensation after pictures of him teaching by drawing a Microsoft Word page on the blackboard went viral. Images: Facebook. It appears the zeal and passion to work with limited resources has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for a Ghanaian ICT Teacher based in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. The Teacher, Mr. Richard Appiah Akoto, caused a stir on Social Media following news reports of him drawing a computer on a Chalkboard to demonstrate ICT Lessons to his students. Mr. Appiah used his blackboard to meticulously draw a diagram of the popular Microsoft Word program. Well, the good news is that, the teacher who educates his students on computer technology without any computers will from hence be supported by Microsoft with computers and ICT Materials. According to a BBC report, Software giant, Microsoft has announced support for Richard Appiah. The company pledged to send Mr Richard Appiah Akoto a computer

CAR STOLEN BY KENYAN EX-MINISTER FOUND ABANDONED.

Nairobi, KENYA: A classic Mercedes Benz stolen from a showroom in Nairobi by former minister Paul Ngei has been found in a deplorable state. Photos of the car which were shared on social media showed it mounted on stones and without wheels, its bonnet wide open and its paint cracking up. The Mercedes Benz 300SEL registration number KNM 190 was a premium car in its heyday. Paul Joseph Ngei (18 October 1923 – 15 August 2004) was a Kenyan politician who was imprisoned for his role in the anti-colonial movement, but who went on to hold several government ministerial positions after Kenya became independent. Paul Ngei walked into the famous car showroom in Nairobi (DT Dobie) in the 1970s and drove away with the vehicle never to return or pay for it. At the time of its release, it was the world's fastest four-door car and when Ngei was pushed to pay for the vehicle, he would always refer the agents to State House and ask them to send the bill there. The rogue minister drove the car for m

Kioo17 Journal

Search This Blog