Algeria criticizes the discriminatory logic of the International Criminal Court

Algeria has expressed solidarity with the African governments and leaders who are subject to trial at the level of the International Criminal Court, at a time the Member States of the African Union threatened to withdraw from the Treaty of Rome, which is the founder of the International Criminal Court.

Algeria Foreign Minister, Ramtane Lamamra, said on Friday, in Addis Ababa, on the sidelines of works of the Executive Council of the African Union on relationships of Africa with the International Criminal Court: “We insist on solidarity with Kenya, and with all African countries which leaders have been transferred to trial before the International Justice.”

It is known that many of the presidents and senior officials in the African countries  are followed by the International Criminal Court, on charges of crimes against humanity, including the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Sudanese President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is under an international arrest warrant, in addition to the former Liberian President, Charles Taylor, imprisoned after being convicted of war crimes.

APS quoted the Algerian FM as saying the debate within the Executive Council focused on “whether there should use political elements only, or must resort to legal tools in the relations of Africa with the International Criminal Court”, a decision which is expected to be announced today, at the meeting of States’ Heads and Governments of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital.

Observers think that the International Criminal Court , is operating with the logic of “double standards”, at a time it seeks to apply its own law on the vulnerable in Africa, ignoring the real criminals, like the former U.S. President, George W. Bush , who caused the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people in the wars that were launched in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Perhaps this is why the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, whose country holds the African Union, described the way the International Criminal Tribunal treated Africa as “unfair and totally unacceptable”.

Tedros Adanom Gabryesus, said the Foreign Ministers of the African Union, working on the preparation of the emergency summit to be held by African leaders at the request of Kenya, which President, Uhuru Kenyatta, is trialed by the international Criminal Court, and Vice President, William Ruto in La Haye.

Former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan of Ghana, asserted the debate on the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the level of the African Union, is aiming to protect the leaders more than protecting the victims.