Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/News
NewsWorld

Burundi Votes to Withdraw from International Criminal Court

Posted byBy Lena D | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Burundi's government has reportedly shut down all independent news organisations amid the unrest [Reuters]

Burundi’s government has reportedly shut down all independent news organizations amid the unrest. [Reuters]

Burundi’s lower house of parliament has overwhelmingly voted in support of a withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The move comes shortly after the United Nations launched a probe into the country’s alleged systematic human rights abuses in an ongoing crackdown on a protest movement that began 18 months ago.

Ninety-four out of 110 legislators voted in favor of the draft law on Wednesday, two were against it and 14 abstained. The legislation now has to be approved by the senate — also dominated by the ruling party — before being passed into law by President Pierre Nkurunziza.

No country has ever withdrawn from the ICC.

Burundi has been plagued by violence since April 2015, when Nkurunziza sought a third term despite protests by those who called the move unconstitutional. Hundreds of people have been killed in the unrest.

The ICC has said it will investigate ongoing violence in Burundi.

In April, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she was conducting a “preliminary examination” of the situation in Burundi — the first step towards a full investigation and possible prosecutions — looking into allegations including murder, torture, rape and forced disappearances.

And two weeks ago, the United Nations launched a high-level probe into rights violations in Burundi after a report warned of possible “crimes against humanity” and the risk of genocide.

“It is perfectly clear that this is a plot to do harm to Burundi,” Gaston Sindimwo, Burundi’s vice president, said last week, referring to the investigations.

In August, Burundi also rejected the proposed deployment of more than 200 United Nations police officers to monitor the unrest. Burundi’s move to leave the Netherlands-based court also comes amid rising resentment in Africa against the ICC.

Some African countries have threatened a withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, accusing the court of disproportionately bringing charges against suspected human rights abusers from the continent.

Read more here.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top