South Africa withdraws from the International Criminal Court

South Africa has announced it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) following allegations of bias against African states.

An “Instrument of Withdrawal” emerged on Thursday that was signed by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane notifying the United Nations of the country’s intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute.

The country’s intention to withdraw from the statute was first conveyed as their government tried to defend its failure to take steps to detain Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir during his visit to South Africa in June 2015‚ when there was an ICC warrant for his arrest‚ and despite a high court ruling that it do so.

EXCLUSIVE: The letter that South Africa's Government sent to the UN Secretary General withdrawing from the Rome Statute/#ICC #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/nEgwBgSwB6

— Sherwin Bryce-Pease (@sherwiebp) October 20, 2016

Burundi kicked off the exit as its President Pierre Nkurunziza signed legislation to make his country the first to withdraw from the ICC as it was on the verge of investigating recent political violence there.

Recall that Burundi was engulfed in over a year of deadly violence following Nkurunziza’s controversial decision to pursue a third term.

South Africa’s exit is already gathering opposition as the Country’s Human Rights Commission chairman Lawrence Mushwana had posited that in the absence of an alternative to holding African perpetrators of human rights violations and international crimes accountable for their actions‚ such an exit did not bode well for the rule of law.

“The effect of this immunity is that those guilty of the most grossest violations of human rights and the perpetration of international crimes will not be held accountable for their actions‚ for as long as they remain in power,” he said.

South Africa’s withdrawal will take effect one year after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is officially notified.