Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has called on the International Criminal Court to be even-handed in prosecuting cases.
He said it should not be involved in global power struggles, but treat all cases of human rights violations in the world equally.
He said international law and the rule of law must have no eyes for crimes perpetrated against victims.
There should be no double standards in the work of the court.
Lamola also said the lack of reform of the UN Security Council was critical in the work done by the ICC.
He said there were permanent members of the security council who were putting pressure on the ICC, yet they are not signatories of the Rome Statute.
South Africa has been under pressure since the ICC issued a warrant of arrest against Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Putin is expected to attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg next month.
Lamola was addressing the UN in New York to mark 25 years since the establishment of the ICC.
South Africa was one of the first countries to sign the Rome Statute.
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said South Africa had been fighting for human rights from the time of late former president Nelson Mandela.
Lamola said there should be no double standards in the ICC.
“In addition to judicial and prosecutorial independence, the ICC must treat all situations fairly and guard against becoming an instrument of global power struggles. South Africa believes that this independence is critical to ensure sustainable support for the ICC,” said Lamola.
The court continues to face scrutiny on the cases it was prosecuting.
“The credibility continues to be called into question on account of perceptions of the court focusing its resources in certain situations only, while crimes committed in other situations do not receive the same commensurate attention. These concerns should be addressed, as the court must be seen as even-handed in its effort to uphold the rule of law in the execution of its duties and mandate,” said Lamola.
Khan said they were grateful that Lamola had attended the UN event to mark 25 years of the ICC because countries from the southern hemisphere were critical in the setting up of the court.
He said South Africa had “endured with great dignity and with great wisdom with the leadership of Mandela, the awful crime of apartheid, the awful crime against humanity.”
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