{{Global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has described the African Union\u2019s call for immunity of leaders facing charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as \u2018deplorable\u2019.}}<\/p>\n
Amnesty International\u2019s Deputy Director of Law and Policy Tawanda Hondora faulted the declaration made at an Extraordinary Summit of the AU that no senior government officials should appear before the ICC and their call for deferral of the cases against Kenya\u2019s leaders sends \u2018a strong message that the victims of the post-election violence in Kenya don\u2019t matter.\u2019<\/p>\n
The declaration was made at the Summit on the question of Africa\u2019s relationship with the ICC in Addis Ababa on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis declaration sends the wrong message, that politicians on the African continent will place their political interests above those of victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,\u201d said Hondora.<\/p>\n
The Summit called for the deferral of the ICC trials of Kenya\u2019s President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto by the UN Security Council, and set up a contact group of the AU Executive Council to take up the matter with the United Nations Security Council.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmnesty International recognises that Kenya has suffered a horrendous assault, with significant loss of life and livelihoods, but this must not be used to insulate the Kenyan president and his deputy from appearing before the ICC,\u201d said Hondora.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictims of the post-election violence have waited over five years to see the cogs of justice turn after Kenya failed to deliver justice and the ICC stepped in. These trials should and must go ahead. Any move by the Security Council on foot of the AU\u2019s request to delay justice would be political interference in independent judicial proceedings.\u201d<\/p>\n
AU leaders debated calling for the withdrawal of the 34 African countries that are members of the Rome Statute of the ICC if the Kenyan cases are not dropped or deferred, but did not go that far.<\/p>\n
Amnesty International had called on African leaders not to support such a move amid fears that states critical of the ICC would follow the example of the Kenyan parliament which on 5 September voted to leave the Court.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfrican states played a vital role in setting up the ICC and have an unquestionable stake in producing a just, fair and effective court,\u201d said Tawanda Hondora.<\/p>\n
Deputy President William Ruto is due back to The Hague for trial to resume on Monday.<\/p>\n
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