Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T06:37:42.809Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Africa's role in the progression of international criminal justice: a moral and political argument

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 November 2018

Kirsten J. Fisher
Kirsten J. Fisher*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Studies, College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Arts 283B, Saskatoon SK S7N 5A5, Canada
*
Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Given the history of the International Criminal Court in Africa, the relationship between African states and the Court is particularly significant to its legitimacy. If the power of the Court is grounded in international political support and the perception that it transcends international and national politics to deny impunity for ‘atrocity’ crimes, the Court's perceived legitimacy and normative legitimacy are so intertwined that charges of illegitimacy from significant regional stakeholders hold particular weight. More importantly, criticisms voiced by African actors point to a valid challenge to the Court's legitimate moral standing as an arbiter of global justice: the international power imbalance that seems to be becoming more entrenched and apparent in the Court's work. Tactics adopted by some African leaders of prioritising the issue of heads-of-state immunity, however, minimise the broader issue of power differentials and reduce the chance that African states will find allies in their cause to challenge the Court's operations.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 56 , Issue 4 , December 2018 , pp. 541 - 568
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Akande, D. 2012. ‘Head of state immunity is a part of state immunity: a response to Jens Iverson’, Ejiltalk. <https://www.ejiltalk.org/head-of-state-immunity-is-a-part-of-state-immunity-a-response-to-jens-iverson/>, accessed 27.2.2012.,+accessed+27.2.2012.>Google Scholar
Akande, D. & Shah, S.. 2011. ‘Immunities of state officials, international crimes, and foreign domestic courts’, European Journal of International Law 21, 4: 815–52.Google Scholar
Allen, T.A. 2006. Trial Justice: the International Criminal Court and the Lord's Resistance Army. London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Arbour, L. 2014. ‘The relationship between the ICC and the UN Security Council’, Global Governance 20, 2: 195–201.Google Scholar
Baines, E. 2005. ‘Roco Wat I Acoli: restoring relationships in Acholi-land: traditional approaches to justice and reintegration’, Justice and Reconciliation Project, 15 September.Google Scholar
Bassioni, M.C. 1996. ‘International crimes: jus cogens and obligatio erga omnes’, Law and Contemporary Problems 63–74.Google Scholar
BBC. 2017. ‘African Union backs mass withdrawal from ICC’, BBC News, 1 February. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38826073>..>Google Scholar
Benvenuti, P. 2001. ‘The ICTY prosecutor and the review of the NATO bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia’, European Journal of International Law 12, 3: 503–29.Google Scholar
Birsall, A. 2015.‘The responsibility to prosecute and the ICC: a problematic relationship?’, Criminal Law Forum 26, 1: 51–72.Google Scholar
Bradfield, P. 2014. ‘Wither impunity? Beyond the Hague’, 3 July. <https://beyondthehague.com/2014/07/03/whither-impunity/>..>Google Scholar
Chesterman, S. 2001. Just War or Just Peace? Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Chulov, M. 2011. ‘Libyan government asks why ICC isn't also seeking to prosecute Syria’, Guardian, 16 May. <www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/16/libya-icc-arrest-warrants-reaction>..>Google Scholar
Clarke, K.M. & Koulen, S.-J.. 2014. ‘The legal politics of the Article 16 Decision: the International Criminal Court, the UN Security Council and ontologies of a contemporary compromise’, African Journal of Legal Studies 7: 297–319.Google Scholar
Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC). 2017. ‘AU Summit 2017: Africa continues pushback against ICC withdrawals’, http://www.coalitionfortheicc.org/news/20170208/au-summit-2017-africa-continues-pushback-against-icc-withdrawals>..>Google Scholar
Coleman, K.P. & Tieku, T.K., eds. 2018. ‘African actors in international security: four pathways to influence’, in African Actors in International Security: shaping contemporary norms. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Press.Google Scholar
Cryer, R. 2006. ‘Sudan, Resolution 1593, and international criminal justice’, Leiden Journal of International Law 19, 1: 195–222.Google Scholar
Dahl, R.A. 1999. ‘Can international organizations be democratic? ’, in Shapiro, I. & Hacker-Cordon, Casiano, eds. Democracy's Edges. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Dakar, J. 2017. ‘Gambia will withdraw its ICC withdrawal, EU official says’, Globe and Mail, 19 February. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/gambia-will-reverse-its-icc-withdrawal-eu-official-says/article33962456/>..>Google Scholar
Dickenson, L. 2003. ‘The promise of hybrid courts’, American Journal of International Law 97: 295.Google Scholar
Du Pleissis, M. & Tladi, D.. 2017. ‘International Court must clear up vexed issue of Bashir's immunity’, Business Day, 24 August. <https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2017-08-24-international-court-must-clear-up-vexed-issue-of-bashirs-immunity>..>Google Scholar
Du Pleissis, M., Maluwa, T. & O'Reilly, A.. 2013. ‘Africa and the International Criminal Court’, Chatham House, 1 July. <https://www.chathamhouse.org/about/structure/africa-programme/africa-changing-balance-international-power-project>..>Google Scholar
Fichtelberg, A. 2006. ‘Democratic legitimacy and the International Criminal Court: a liberal defence’, Journal of International Criminal Justice 4, 4: 765–85.Google Scholar
Fisher, K.J. 2012. Moral Accountability and International Criminal Law: holding agents of atrocity accountable to the world. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Fisher, K.J. 2014. ‘Selectivity, legitimacy and the application of Post-Arab Spring International Criminal Justice’, in Fisher, K.J. & Stewart, R., eds. Transitional Justice and the Arab Spring. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Fisher, K.J. & Stefan, C.. 2016. ‘The Ethics of International Criminal “Lawfare”’, International Criminal Law Review 16, 2: 237–57.Google Scholar
Fisher, K.J. & Stefan, C.. Forthcoming. ‘Canada's ‘return’: opportunity and moral duty in an anti-cosmopolitan global climate’, Canadian Yearbook on Human Rights.Google Scholar
Foakes, J. 2011. ‘Immunity for international crimes?’, Chatham House, November. <https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/public/Research/International%20Law/bp1111_foakes.pdf>..>Google Scholar
Ford, S. 2016. ‘The ICC and the Security Council: how much support is there for ending impunity?’, Indiana International & Comparative Law Review 26, 1: 33–67.Google Scholar
Gegout, C. 2013. ‘The International Criminal Court: limits, potential and conditions for the promotion of justice and peace’, Third World Quarterly 34, 5: 800–18.Google Scholar
Goldstone, R. & Kersten, M.. 2018. ‘Ramaphosa has a rare chance to stop SA withdrawing from the ICC’, Mail and Guardian, 12 July. <https://mg.co.za/article/2018-06-12-ramaphosa-has-a-rare-chance-to-stop-sa-withdrawing-from-the-icc>..>Google Scholar
Goodliffe, J. & Hawkins, D.. 2009. ‘A funny thing happened on the way to Rome: explaining International Criminal Court negotiations’, Journal of Politics 71, 3: 977–97.Google Scholar
Hehir, A. & Lang, A.F.. 2015. ‘The impact of the Security Council on the efficacy of the International Criminal Court and the responsibility to protect’, Criminal Law Forum 26, 1: 153–79.Google Scholar
Hovil, L. & Lomo, Z.. 2005. ‘Whose justice: perceptions of Uganda's Amnesty Act 2000: the potential for conflict resolution and long-term reconciliation’, Working Paper Series 15. Kampala: Refugee Law Project.Google Scholar
Human Rights Watch. 2013. ‘UN Security Council: heed call for justice in Syria’, 14 January. <https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/01/14/un-security-council-heed-call-justice-syria>..>Google Scholar
Igunza, E. 2017. ‘Analysis by Emmanuel Igunza’, in ‘African Union backs mass withdrawal from ICC’, BBC News, February. <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38826073>..>Google Scholar
International Court of Justice (ICJ). 2002. Arrest Warrant of 11 April 2000 (Democratic Republic of Congo v. Belgium) [2002] ICJ Report 3, Joint Separate Opinion of Judges Higgins, Kooijmans, and Buergenthal.Google Scholar
Iverson, J. 2012. ‘Head of state immunity is not the same as state immunity: a response to the African Union's position on Article 98 of the ICC Statute’, Ejiltalk, 13 January. <https://www.ejiltalk.org/head-of-state-immunity-is-not-the-same-as-state-immunity-a-response-to-the-african-unions-position-on-article-98-of-the-icc-statute/#comment-14450>..>Google Scholar
Jacobs, D. 2016. ‘Some additional thoughts on African withdrawals from the ICC’, in Spreading the Jam: International Law, International Criminal Law, Human Rights and Transitional Justice, 27 October. <https://dovjacobs.com/2016/10/27/some-additional-thoughts-on-african-withdrawals-from-the-icc/>..>Google Scholar
Janssens, J. 2017. ‘Burundi: cynical ICC withdrawal’, Human Rights in International Justice, 27 October. <https://hrij.amnesty.nl/burundi-icc-withdrawal/>..>Google Scholar
Keppler, E. 2012. ‘Managing setbacks’, Journal of African Law 56, 1: 1–14.Google Scholar
Keppler, E. 2016. ‘African members reaffirm support at International Criminal Court meeting’, Human Rights Watch, 17 November. <https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/17/african-members-reaffirm-support-international-criminal-court-meeting>..>Google Scholar
Keppler, E. 2017. ‘AU's ‘ICC withdrawal strategy’ less than meets the eye’, Human Rights Watch, 1 February. <https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/02/01/aus-icc-withdrawal-strategy-less-meets-eye>..>Google Scholar
Kersten, M. 2014. ‘What gives? African Union Head of State immunity’, Justice in Conflict, 7 July. <https://justiceinconflict.org/2014/07/07/what-gives-african-union-head-of-state-immunity/>..>Google Scholar
Kersten, M. 2016a. Justice in Conflict: the effects of the International Criminal Court’s interventions on ending wars and building peace. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kersten, M. 2016b. ‘The International Criminal Court's turn to the symbolic’, Justice Hub, 4 October. <https://justicehub.org/article/international-criminal-courts-turn-symbolic>..>Google Scholar
Killander, M. 2016. ‘Withdrawal for the ICC: a sad day for South Africa and Africa’, The Conversation, 21 October. <http://theconversation.com/withdrawal-from-the-icc-a-sad-day-for-south-africa-and-africa-67489>..>Google Scholar
Kirsch, P. 2007. ‘ICC marks 5 years since entry into Force of Rome Statute’, International Criminal Court, 25 June. <https://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/rdonlyres/C307EC9D-B735-47D6-BA5C-508D0A5D8C71/143884/PK_20070627_en.pdf>..>Google Scholar
Kiyani, A. 2015a. ‘The antinomies of legitimacy: on the (im)possibility of a legitimate International Criminal Court’, African Journal of Legal Studies 8: 1–32.Google Scholar
Kiyani, A. 2015b. ‘International Crime and the politics of criminal theory: voices and conduct of exclusion’, International Law and Politics 48: 129–208.Google Scholar
Makokha, K. 2016. ‘African states push for Heads of State immunity at the ICC’, Journalists for Justice, 26 November. <http://jfjustice.net/en/complementarity/african-states-push-for-heads-of-state-immunity-at-the-icc#sthash.ynm3qfRD.dpuf>..>Google Scholar
Mills, K. 2012. ‘Bashir is dividing us’, Human Rights Quarterly 34, 2: 404–47.Google Scholar
Moffett, L. 2014. Justice for Victims Before the ICC. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Morris, M. 2002. ‘The democratic dilemma of the International Criminal Court’, Buffalo Criminal Law Review 5, 2: 591–600.Google Scholar
Murphy, S.D. 2014. ‘Immunity Ratione Personae of Foreign Government Officials and Other Topics: The Sixty-Fifth Session of the International Law Commission’, American Journal of International Law 108, 1: 41–57.Google Scholar
Musisi, F. 2015. ‘Museveni to ICC: we are on the same side’, Daily Monitor, 4 March. <http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Museveni-to-ICC--We-are-on-same-side/-/688334/2641672/-/85qqoy/-/index.html>..>Google Scholar
Mutua, M.W. 2010. ‘The International Criminal Court in Africa: challenges and opportunities’, Buffalo Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2011.Google Scholar
Neuwen, S.M.H. & Werner, W.G.. 2010. ‘Doing justice to the political: the International Criminal Court in Uganda and Sudan’, European Journal of International Law 21, 4: 941–65.Google Scholar
Oakford, S. 2014. ‘African leaders’ vote for immunity is sending a cynical message’, Vice News, 4 July. <https://news.vice.com/article/african-leaders-vote-for-immunity-is-sending-a-cynical-message>..>Google Scholar
Oette, L. 2010. ‘Peace and justice, or neither? The repercussions of the Al-Bashir case for International Criminal Justice in Africa and beyond’, Journal of International Criminal Justice 8, 2: 345–64.Google Scholar
O'Keefe, R. n.d. ‘Immunity ratione materiae from foreign criminal jurisdiction and the concept of “acts performed in an official capacity”’. <https://rm.coe.int/1680097836>..>Google Scholar
Onishi, N. 2015. ‘Omar al-Bashir, leaving South Africa, eludes arrest again’, New York Times, 15 June. <https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/world/africa/omar-hassan-al-bashir-sudan-south-africa.html?_r=0>..>Google Scholar
Pal, R. n.d. ‘In defence of Japan's Case 1 and Case 2’, in Kenkyusha Modern English Readers 17. Kenkyusha Syuppan Co.Google Scholar
Procopio, M. 2017. ‘Reforms or withdrawal? The evolving mosaic of Africa's ICC strategies’, Italian Institute for International Political Studies, 28 March. <http://www.ispionline.it/en/pubblicazione/reforms-or-withdrawal-evolving-mosaic-africas-icc-strategies-16506>..>Google Scholar
Proudman, C.R. 2013. ‘Syria immune from being held accountable by ICC for atrocities’, New Statesman, 30 October. <www.newstatesman.com/politics/2012/10/syria-immune-being-held-accountable-icc-atrocities>..>Google Scholar
Reynolds, J. & Xavier, S.. 2016. ‘‘The dark corners of the world’ TWAIL and international criminal justice’, Journal of International Criminal Justice 14: 959–83.Google Scholar
Rome Statute. 2002. Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court A/CONF.183/9, 17 July 1998, entered into force 1 July 2002.Google Scholar
Schabas, W.A. 2004. ‘United States hostility to the International Criminal Court: it's all about the Security Council’, European Journal of International Law 15, 4: 701–20.Google Scholar
Schabas, W.A. 2016. The International Criminal Court: a commentary on the Rome Statute. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Simpson, G. 2007. Law, War and Crime. London: Polity Press.Google Scholar
South African Government News Agency. 2014. ‘Sitting head of state immune from ICC charges: AU’, SA News, 13 October. <http://www.sanews.gov.za/africa/sitting-head-state-immune-icc-charges-au>..>Google Scholar
Ssenyonjo, M. 2018. ‘State withdrawal notifications from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: South Africa, Burundi and the Gambia’, Criminal Law Forum 29: 63–119. <https://doi.org/10.1007/s10609-017-9321-z>..>Google Scholar
Tiemessen, A. 2012. ‘The Paradox of Lawfare’, OpenCanada.org., 10 May. <https://www.opencanada.org/features/the-paradox-of-lawfare/>..>Google Scholar
United Nations. 2005. ‘Security Council 5158th Meeting’, United Nations Security Council, 31 March. <http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/PV.5158>..>Google Scholar
United Nations. 2014. ‘Referral of Syria to International Criminal Court fails as negative votes prevent Security Council from adopting draft resolution’, UN Press Release. SC/11407, 22 May.Google Scholar
United Nations Security Council (UNSC). 2011. ‘Resolution 1970 (2011)’, 26 February. <http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/1970(2011)>..>Google Scholar
van den Berg, S. 2017. ‘South Africa defends decision to ignore ICC's Bashir arrest warrant’, Euro News, 7 April. <http://www.euronews.com/2017/04/07/south-africa-defends-decision-to-ignore-iccs-bashir-arrest-warrant>..>Google Scholar
Vernon, R. 2002. ‘What is crime against humanity?’, Journal of Political Philosophy 10, 3: 231–49.Google Scholar
Walubiri, M. & Lumu, D.. 2014. “Museveni blasts ICC over Kenyatta trial’, New Vision, 9 October. <http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1311967/museveni-blasts-icc-kenyatta-trial>..>Google Scholar
Wamai, N. 2013. ‘The International Criminal Court and the Kenyan election’, Huffington Post, 3 May. <www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/gates-cambridge/scholars/kenya-elections_b_3206562.html>..>Google Scholar
Wanambwa, R. 2014. ‘Museveni attack on ICC dominates independence celebrations’, Daily Monitor, 10 October. <http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Museveni-attack-on-ICC-dominates-independence-celebrations/688334-2480406-ypwwy3/index.html>..>Google Scholar
Wardle, P. 2011. ‘The survival of head of state immunity at the International Criminal Court’, Australian International Law Journal 18: 181–205.Google Scholar
York, G. 2017. ‘African Union's mass withdrawal strategy mounts pressure on ICC’, Globe and Mail, 1 February. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/african-unions-mass-withdrawal-strategy-a-fresh-blow-to-international-court/article33869212/>..>Google Scholar