Burundi has become the first country to leave the International Criminal Court.
- The decision is taken a year after Burundi notified the United Nations secretary-general of its intention to leave the court that prosecutes the world’s worst atrocities.
- Burundi is the only one of three African nations to go ahead with withdrawal.'
- Burundi is small African country where ICC prosecutors are investigating alleged human rights violations
- The Burundian government claims that the ICC is used by powerful Western countries as an instrument to punish leaders who are not compliant.
- International Criminal Court started a preliminary investigation of events in Burundi that focused on acts of killing, imprisonment, torture, and sexual violence that have been allegedly committed there since April 2015.
About ICC
- The International Criminal Court is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal that sits in The Hague in the Netherlands.
- The ICC has the authority to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes
- The ICC began functioning on 1 July 2002 when Rome Statute entered into force.
- The Rome Statute is a multilateral treaty which serves as the ICC's foundational and governing document.
- The ICC has four principal organs: the Presidency, the Judicial Divisions, the Office of the Prosecutor, and the Registry.
