Kenya shuns push for ICC role in Syria

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Kenya is not among 58 countries that on Monday urged the UN Security Council to initiate an International Criminal Court investigation of atrocities committed by all parties in Syria. FILE PHOTO.

What you need to know:

  • Botswana, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Ghana and the Seychelles signed the letter that Switzerland had circulated to all 193 UN member-states. Nigeria, currently a member of the Security Council, has also expressed support for an ICC role in Syria.

Kenya is not among 58 countries that on Monday urged the UN Security Council to initiate an International Criminal Court investigation of atrocities committed by all parties in Syria.

Most other African countries, including several that are parties to the ICC treaty, joined Kenya in declining to sign a letter in support of a French-sponsored Security Council resolution expected to be put to a vote Thursday.

Botswana, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Ghana and the Seychelles signed the letter that Switzerland had circulated to all 193 UN member-states. Nigeria, currently a member of the Security Council, has also expressed support for an ICC role in Syria.

It is “certainly disappointing” that a large majority of African signers of the ICC treaty have not endorsed this call for court intervention, said Mr Richard Dicker, director of the international justice programme at Human Rights Watch.

However, Russian deputy Foreign minister Gennady Gatilov on Tuesday said his country opposes Syria going before the ICC “since we consider that this is counterproductive in the current situation.”