South Africa: Ruling Party Vows to Leave International Criminal Court
South Africa: Ruling Party Vows to Leave International Criminal Court
What Happened: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party would withdraw South Africa from the International Criminal Court (ICC) prior to hosting a summit of BRICS members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — in August, the Financial Times reported on April 25. Formally, even if South Africa submitted a formal notification to leave the ICC, an exit would not occur for at least one year after the notification.
Why It Matters: South Africa's decision to leave the ICC will make it easier for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the ICC has indicted, to potentially attend the BRICS summit. However, it will alienate South Africa from the West, which is pushing Ramaphosa's administration to arrest Putin if he attends the summit. The move is in line with the ANC's view that the ICC is biased against African leaders, as the party previously shunned demands to arrest then-Sudanese President Omar al Bashir in 2015 after he was indicted by the ICC and visited South Africa.
Background: South Africa's ANC formally notified the ICC of its intention to exit in 2016 following al Bashir’s visit, but South Africa's Supreme Court ruled that the government's attempt to exit was unconstitutional because it was not triggered by the National Assembly. In 2017, South Africa revoked its notification to exit the ICC.
Origin: https://bit.ly/3Nk5epC