01 Nov 2015

The just ended regional seminar on fostering co-operation has demystified misconceptions about what people think the International Criminal Court (ICC) is all about.

Speaking at the closing of the seminar, ICC judge, Ms Sanji Monageng said many people misunderstood ICC to be only targeting Africa.  She said the ICC was just like any other court, while it has respect for all the states, it was the ICC wish that both states and courts pull together harmoniously.

Justice Monageng noted that the relationship between the courts and states could go far, hence she encouraged all SADC countries to affiliate to the ICC. 

Meanwhile, the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi said the seminar provided a forum for dialogue, reflection and in-depth discussion on ways that state parties and other stakeholders could co-operate with the ICC. 

The seminar was part of a series of seminars the ICC was hosting in various regions of the world to promote co-operation between the court and the state parties to the Rome Statute.

It also discussed the relationship between the court and the African Union, and the relationship between the court and the United Nations Security Council.

Mr Kgathi said the objectives of the seminar were met, and that the discussions on all the topics were candid, informative and forward looking.

Challenges that the court and the state parties encounter when fighting impunity against atrocity crimes were also discussed, he added.

Some of these included inadequate legal and institutional frameworks at both the regional and national levels resulting from lack of domestication of the Rome Statute and lack of implementing legislation. Ends