African civil society urges African States Parties to the Rome Statute to reaffirm their commitment to the ICC

On 3 July 2009 the African Union (AU) agreed that its members should withhold cooperation from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the arrest and surrender of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. The court issued its arrest warrant for President al-Bashir on 4 March 2009 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.

The AU's decision threatens to block justice for victims of the worst crimes committed on the continent. It is inconsistent with article 4 of the AU's constitutive act that rejects impunity, as well as the treaty obligations of the 30 African governments that ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC. The decision also undermines the consensus reached by African ICC States Parties at a meeting in Addis Ababa in June 2009.

Recognizing our obligation to help protect human rights and uphold the rule of law, we, the undersigned civil society organizations, appeal to African ICC States Parties to reaffirm their support for the ICC and their commitment to abide by their obligations under the Rome Statute, particularly in relation to the arrest and transfer of the President of Sudan to the ICC.

The ICC was created to bring accountability for the most serious crimes of international concern: genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. African governments, together with civil society, played an active role in establishing the court and African governments were among the founding ratifiers of the Rome Statute.

A majority of African countries are now Parties to the ICC: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. In ratifying the Rome Statute, these states signaled their dedication to cooperate with the ICC to defend the rights of victims and to ensure that the perpetrators of the most serious crimes known to humankind, whoever they might be, are brought to justice.

In Addis Ababa in June, those states underscored their continued support for the court. Proposals to consider making recommendations in relation to possible withdrawal from the ICC or withholding cooperation from the court failed to win a consensus.

The decision adopted at the AU summit just three weeks later is a backward step. The basis provided by the AU for withholding cooperation with the ICC is the UN Security Council's lack of response to the AU's request for a deferral of the ICC's case against President al-Bashir. Consistent with States Parties' obligations under the Rome Statute, this is a matter to direct to the Security Council and does not warrant withholding cooperation from the ICC.

Following the AU summit, the governments of Botswana and Uganda issued statements reiterating their commitment to cooperating with the ICC. These statements are important.

Civil society across the continent has expressed concern about the AU decision. Ensuring that the determined steps to end impunity on our continent are not undermined requires a collective effort by all Africans. Instead of retreating from important achievements to date, we look to our governments to remain steadfast in their support for justice for victims of the worst crimes, including by reaffirming their commitment to cooperate with the ICC.

Organizations supporting the statement:

1. Action des Chrétiens Activistes des Droits de l'Homme à Shabunda (ACADHOSHA), South Kivu, DRC

2. Adala Association, Rabat, Morocco

3. Africa Internally Displaced Persons Voice (Africa IDP Voice), Lusaka, Zambia

4. Africa Legal Aid, Accra, Ghana

5. Africa Talks, Accra, Ghana

6. African Association for the Defense of Human Rights (ASADHO), Kinshasa, DRC

7. African Development and Peace Initiative (ADPI), Adjumani, Uganda

8. AIDS Consortium, Johannesburg, South Africa

9. Amnesty International Burkina Faso

10. Amnesty International Senegal

11. Amnesty International South Africa

12. Amnesty International Zimbabwe

13. Antenne Social Alert Burkina (ASAB), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

14. Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa, Windhoek, Namibia

15. Arab Center for the Independence of Judiciary and Legal Profession (ACIJLP), Cairo, Egypt

16. Arche d'Alliance, Bukavu, DRC

17. Associations Africaine de Défense des Droits de l'Homme, section du Sud-Kivu (ASADHO/SUD-KIVU), DRC

18. Association des Animateurs sur le Lac Kivu, Bukavu, DRC

19. Association des Victimes de Crimes et Répressions Politiques au Tchad (AVCRP), N'Djamena, Chad

20. Association of Environmental Lawyers of Liberia (Green Advocates), Monrovia, Liberia

21. Association pour la promotion et la défense de la dignité des victimes (APRODIVI), Ituri, DRC

22. Association pour les Droits de l'Homme et l'Univers Carcéral (ADHUC), Moungali, Brazzaville - Congo

23. Association Tchadienne pour la Promotion et la Défense et des Droits de l'Homme, N'Djamena, Chad

24. Breaking The Wall of Silence, Windhoek, Namibia

25. Bureau de Coordination Société Civile du Sud Kivu, Bukavu, DRC

26. Bushenyi District CSO Forum, Bushenyi, Uganda

27. Carrefour d'Idées pour le Développement Intégral (CIDI), Nord-Kivu, DRC

28. Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), Monrovia, Liberia

29. Centre d'études sur la Justice et la Résolution, Kinshasa, DRC

30. Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), Johannesburg, South Africa

31. Centre for Constitutional Rights, Cape Town, South Africa

32. Centre for Coordination of Youth Activities (CCYA), Freetown, Sierra Leone

33. Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja, Nigeria

34. Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa

35. Center for Human Rights and Rehabiliation (CHRR), Lilongwe, Malawi

36. Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention (CJCP), Cape Town, South Africa

37. Center for Justice for Accused Persons, Kampala, Uganda

38. Center for Research and Development, Mutare, Zimbabwe

39. Center for Trauma Counseling and Conflict Resolution (CETCCOR), Monrovia, Liberia

40. Children Education Society (CHESO), Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

41. Cite des Droits de l'Homme et de Paix (CIDHOP), Bukavu, DRC

42. Civic Initiative, Monrovia, Liberia

43. Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC), Enugu, Nigeria

44. Civil Society Alternative Process of Sierra Leone (CSAP-SL), Freetown

45. Coalition Congolaise pour la Justice Transitionnelle (CCJT), Bukavu, DRC

46. Coalition Ivoirienne pour la Cour Pénale Internationale, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

47. Coalition of Justice and Accountability, Sierra Leone

48. Collectif des Organisations des Jeunes Solidaires du Congo-Kinshasa (COJESKI-RDC), North Kivu, DRC

49. Coordonnateur de la Coalition nationale pour la CPI, Kinshasa, DRC

50. Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Harare

51. Culture pour la Paix et la Justice (CPJ), Kinshasa, DRC

52. Darfur Democratic Forum (DDF), Khartoum, Sudan

53. Dauphins Munzihirwa-Kataliko (DMK), Bukavu, DRC

54. Démocratie et les Droits de l'Homme (CREDDHO), Goma, DRC

55. DITSHWANELO - The Botswana Centre for Human Rights, Gaborone

56. Dynamique des Femmes Juristes, Goma, DRC

57. Duport Rd Union for Community Empowerment and Development, Monrovia, Liberia

58. East Africa Law Society (EALS)

59. East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, Kampala, Uganda

60. Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nairobi, Kenya

61. Foundation for Human Rights & Democracy (FOHRD), Monrovia, Liberia

62. Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), Uganda

63. Greater Northern Uganda Transitional Justice Working Group (GNTJWG), Gulu, Uganda

64. Group JEREMIE, Bukavu, DRC

65. Groupe Lufalanga Pour La Justice et La Paix, Makiso, DRC

66. Gulu NGO Forum, Uganda

67. Héritiers de la justice, Bukavu, DRC

68. Human Rights and Documentation Centre (HRDC), Windhoek, Namibia

69. Human Rights and Protection Forum (HRPF), Monrovia, Liberia

70. Human Rights Concern - Eritrea

71. Human Rights First Association for Rwanda (HRFA-R)

72. Human Rights Network, Uganda (HURINET (U))

73. Human Rights Watch, Johannesburg, South Africa

74. Initiative Congolaise pour la Justice et la Paix (ICJP), Bukavu, DRC

75. Institute for Accountability in Southern Africa, Cape Town, South Africa

76. Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, Banjul, The Gambia

77. International Center for Policy and Conflict (ICPC), Nairobi, Kenya

78. International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), Cape Town, South Africa

79. International Crime in Africa Programme, Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria, South Africa

80. International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), Anambra state, Nigeria

81. Justice and Peace Commision (JPC), Northern Uganda Arch diocese, Gulu, Uganda

82. Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), Gulu, Uganda

83. Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Nairobi

84. Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ-Kenya), Nairobi

85. Khartoum Center for Human Rights & Environmental Development, Sudan

86. Khulumani Support Group, Pretoria, South Africa

87. La coalition Centrafricaine pour la CPI, Central Africa Republic

88. La Maison des Droits de l'Homme du Cameroun, Douala, Cameroon

89. La Solidarité pour la Promotion sociale et la Paix (SOPROP), DRC and Rwanda

90. L'Association africaine de défense des droits de l'Homme (ASADHO), DRC

91. L'Association ACAT (Action des Chrétiens pour l'abolition de la torture), Madagascar

92. L'Association pour la Renaissance des droits humains au Congo (ARC-ONDH), Kinshasa, DRC

93. L'Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains, Rabat, Morocco

94. Legal Assistance Centre, Windhoek, Namibia

95. Liberia Media Center, Monrovia

96. Lutheran Church Massacre Survival and Victims' Association (LUMASA), Monrovia, Liberia

97. Malawi Law Society, Blantyre

98. Manifesto99, Freetown, Sierra Leone

99. Mouvement Ivoirien des Droits Humains (MIDH), Côte d'Ivoire

100. Muslim Human Rights Forum (MHRF), Nairobi, Kenya

101. Network Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (NMDHR), Freetown, Sierra Leone

102. Observatoire congolais des droits de l'Homme (OCDH), Brazzaville - Congo

103. Oeuvre communautaire pour l'éducation pour tous (OCET), Bukavu, DRC

104. Open Society Foundation for South Africa, Cape Town

105. Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa

106. Organisation dénommée Action Sociale pour la Paix et le Développement (ASPD), DRC

107. Peace Pen Communications, Nairobi, Kenya

108. Prepared Society, Mombasa, Kenya

109. Promotion de la Démocratie et protection des Droits Humains (PDH), Goma, DRC

110. Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme (RADDHO) Guinee

111. Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme (RADDHO) Senegal

112. Réseau des Associations des Droits de l'Homme du Sud Kivu (RADHOSKI), Bukavu, DRC

113. Réseau d'Initiatives locales pour le Développement durable (REID), Goma, DRC

114. Réseaux Provincial des ONGDH en RDC, North Kivu, DRC

115. Rights and Rice Foundation (RRF), Monrovia, Liberia

116. SADC Lawyers Association, Gaborone, Botswana

117. Samotalis Coalition of Human Rights, Hargeisa, Republic of Somaliland

118. Securitas Congo, Kinshasa, DRC

119. Sierra Leone Coalition for the International Criminal Court (SLCICC), Freetown

120. Sierra Leone Court Monitoring Programme, Freetown, Sierra Leone

121. Society Against Poverty and Hunger, Lagos, Nigeria

122. Society of Law Teachers of Southern Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

123. Solidarité des familles pour le développement (SOFADE), Bukavu, DRC

124. Solidarité féminine pour la paix et le développement intégral, Beni, DRC

125. Solidarité Paysanne pour la Santé et le Développement Communautaire (SPSDC), Bukavu, DRC

126. Sonke Gender Justice Network, Cape Town, South Africa

127. South African History Archive (SAHA), Johannesburg, South Africa

128. Southern African Centre for Survivors of Torture (SACST), Johannesburg, South Africa

129. Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC), Johannesburg, South Africa

130. Synergie des Femmes pour le Victimes des Violences sexuelles (SFVS), Goma, DRC

131. Union des femmes Paysannes du Sud-Kivu (UWAKI Sud-Kivu), Bukavu, DRC

132. West Africa Bar Association (WABA), Nigeria

133. Zimbabwe Exiles Forum, Pretoria, South Africa

134. Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Harare

135. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Harare