Institute for Security Studies (Cape Town)
4 June 2009
(Page 2 of 2)
We accept that such a parallel approach can only succeed in Africa if international criminal justice mechanisms are perceived to be legitimate. In this regard, and in the best interests of international criminal justice, we urge the 30 African States Parties to use their powerful position on the ICC's Assembly of States Parties to constructively address the concerns about the Court.
Civil society organisations in these 30 countries must contribute towards this effort by lobbying and supporting their respective governments and relevant regional institutions to take up African concerns about international criminal justice and the ICC, to domesticate the Rome Statute, and to use national laws where they exist.
We call on African States Parties as well as the signatories to the Rome Statute to:
1.Reaffirm your commitment to end impunity for serious international crimes and uphold the values of accountability, protection of human rights and the rule of law, as espoused in the AU's Constitutive Act, relevant African and international human rights instruments, and relevant obligations under your national legal and constitutional frameworks.
2.Reaffirm your commitment to uphold your international and domestic obligations stemming from your decision to ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC. States Parties that have not domesticated the provisions of the Rome Statute should pass implementing legislation as a matter of urgency.
3.Encourage African non-states parties to accede to the Rome Statute, thereby achieving universality of its application on the continent and in the world.
4.Proactively work with other African countries, regional and sub-regional organisations and civil society (including the media), to develop a stronger African voice in the global discourse on international criminal justice and the work of the ICC. In this regard, the dialogue between the AU, States Parties and the ICC should be expanded to develop common approaches to deal with concerns related to the Court's work in Africa.
5.Ensure that, with regard to the AU's call to consider the expansion of the African Court's jurisdiction to include criminal matters, any such initiative be in line with international legal and human rights standards and obligations, and recognise that substantial resources and expertise would be required.
6.Support the concurrent development of domestic, regional and international criminal justice mechanisms and capacity to respond to international crimes.
7.Use the platforms of the ICC Assembly of States Parties (ASP) and the 2010 ICC Review Conference in Uganda to make constructive recommendations to assist the ICC's work in Africa.
We call on African civil society to:
1.Undertake targeted activities to support the work of the ICC in Africa, including through constructive engagement with your respective governments, lobbying, awareness raising and capacity building. Where appropriate, these activities should be conducted with the support of other civil society organisations and groupings working on these issues.
2.Engage with relevant government officials and ICC representatives to create a platform for dialogue between governments and the Court.
3.Work with African media to ensure informed reporting on international criminal justice and the ICC as part of civil society's role in promoting accountability, preventing conflicts, and rejecting impunity on the continent. In this vein, we urge the media to assist in the wide dissemination of this statement in your respective countries and regions.
4.Ensure that victims are given a voice in the debate about international criminal justice in Africa, especially in the context of political agreements which risk undermining justice and the rights of victims, including to compensation and reparations.
5.Consider developing public responses to the meeting of African States Parties to be convened by the AU in Addis Ababa in June that demonstrate broad civil society support for ending impunity and promoting accountability for serious international crimes in Africa.
Contact person
Antoinette Louw, Institute for Security Studies
Cell: 082 883 5012
Email: alouw@issafrica.org
List of participants: Cape Town, 11 May 2009
Organisations
1.Fadlah Adams, South African Human Rights Commission
2.Evelynn Ankumah, Africa Legal Aid, Ghana
3.Elijah Banda, Law Society of Zambia
4.Zohra Dawood, Open Society Foundation–South Africa
5.Anton du Plessis, Institute for Security Studies
6.Max du Plessis, Institute for Security Studies & University of KwaZulu Natal
7.Malebakeng Forere, Law Society of Lesotho
8.Nicole Fritz, Southern African Litigation Centre
9.Vincent Gatera Gashabana, Rwanda Bar Association
10.Mabvuto Hara, SADC Lawyers Association
11.Charles Chernor Jalloh, Africa Law Institute
12.George Kapiamba, Association Africaine de Defense des Droits de l'Homme (ASADHO), DRC
13.Kwame Karikari, Media Foundation for West Africa
14.Tiseke Kasambala, Human Rights Watch
15.Stephen Arthur Lamony, Coalition for the International Criminal Court
16.Antoinette Louw, Institute for Security Studies
17.Meredith Lwanga, East Africa Law Society
18.Patric Mtshaulana, General Council of the Bar of South Africa
19.Godfrey Musila, Institute for Security Studies
20.Hellen Mutio, Peace Pen Communications, Kenya
21.James Mwamu, East Africa Law Society
22.Cheggy Mziray, Tanganyika Law Society
23.Angela Naggaga, Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, The Gambia
24.Mildred Ngesa, Peace Pen Communications, Kenya
25.Jemima Njeri Kariri, Institute for Security Studies
26.Louise Olivier, Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA)
27.Mpumi Sibalukhulu, Institute for Security Studies
28.Abongile Sipondo, Open Society Foundation–SA
29.Firew Tiba, University of Hong Kong
30.Jacob van Garderen, Lawyers for Human Rights, South Africa
31.Marie-Thérèse Kalonda Wanaoli, Les Amis de Nelson Mandela DH
32.Lina Zedriga, Advocates for Public International Law, Uganda
33.Legal Assistance Centre, Namibia
34.International Commission of Jurists, Africa Programme
35.International Commission of Jurists, Kenya Programme
Individuals
36.Richard Cornwell, consultant, South Africa
37.Biong Deng, South Africa
38.Idi Gaparayi, consultant, Rwanda
39.Benson Olugbuo, formerly with the Coalition for the International Criminal Court
40.Yitiha Simbeye, Open University of Tanzania
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In his piece entitled “ White Collar War Crimes, Black African Fall Guys,”
investigative journalist Keith Snow writes:
First note that the ICC can now be viewed as a tool of hegemonic U.S. foreign policy,
where the weapons deployed by the U.S. and its allies include the accusations of, and
indictments for, human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
To understand this, we can ask WHY NO WHITE MAN HAS YET BEEN CHARGED
with these or other offenses at the ICC (International Criminal Court) which now holds
five black African warlords and seeks to incarcerate and bring to trial another black man,
also an Arab, Omar Bashir.
Why hasn’t George W. Bush been indicted ? Or what about Donald Rumsfeld ?
Dick Cheney? Henry Kissinger? Ehud Olmert? Tony Blair?
The sad fact is that the International Criminal Court has become terribly
politicized, as has the entire international justice apparatus.
The ICC has issued indictments, for the first time in history, against a sitting head of
state. Meanwhile, according to Snow, an Israeli weapons dealer, also a reputed Mossad
operative, is revealed to be shipping weapons into Sudan with Pentagon support.
And Belgium changed its law rather than prosecute Ariel Sharon for war crimes.
The double standard cries out to us.
One country in the West, however, increasingly stands out as a place where
justice can be found?and that is Spain. With its landmark indictment of
Pinochet and its current consideration of Israeli war crimes in Lebanon and
U.S. torture in Guantanamo, we increasingly look to the Spanish Courts with
hope. It was the Spanish courts that returned indictments against Rwandan
soldiers for genocide even as the world coddles U.S. proxy Rwanda and its
leader, Paul Kagame.
[allthingscynthiamckinney.com]
BY PEACE SHALL Many Be deceived (Daniel 8:25) .
DOES THE TERM PEACEKEEPERS ring a Bell ?
Ask the people in Rwanda (who survived that Peace-keeping) about the UN PEACEKEEPERS .
President Obama’s UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE cut her teeth on the RWANDA MASSACRE….OOOPs!!! She said.
(Here’s a Search Link To Many Witnesses To THE NEW U.N. RICE MONSTER)
[http://ixquick.com/do/metasearch.pl?query=Susan+Rice+Rwanda&cat=web&pl=ff& language=english]
OBAMA DECEPTIONS
#1
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrpRocaEfQE]
#2 Here is evidence of Point 2 of the Georgia Guidestones on Reproduction .
Don't be deceived :
[http://www.infowars.com/?p=7259]
Here are search result links to what the Georgia Guidestones are
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones ]
#3
BY PEACE SHALL Many Be deceived (Daniel 8:25) .
DOES THE TERM PEACEKEEPERS ring a Bell ?
Ask the people in Rwanda (who survived that Peace-keeping) about the
United Nations PEACEKEEPERS .
President Obama’s UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE cut her teeth on
the RWANDA MASSACRE…. OOOPs!!! She said.
(Here’s a Search Link To Many Witnesses To THE NEW U.N. RICE MONSTER)
[http://ixquick.com/do/metasearch.pl?query=Susan+Rice+Rwanda&cat=web&pl=ff& language=english]
[This inspiring poem was featuring in the movie “Coach Carter ”]
Our Deepest Fear Is Not That We Are Inadequate, Our Deepest Fear Is That We Are Powerful Beyond Measure. It Is Our Light , Not Our Darkness That Most Frightens Us.
We Ask Ourselves, Who Am I To Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented, And Fabulous ?
Actually Who Are We Not To Be ? You Are A Child Of God.
Your Playing Small Doesn’t Serve The World.
There Is Nothing Enlightened About Shrinking So That Other People Won’t Feel Insecure Around You.
We Are All Meant To Shine, As Children Do.
We Were Born To Make Manifest The Glory Of God That Is Within Us.
It’s Not Just In Some Of Us; It’s In Everyone.
And When We Let Our Own Light Shine We Unconsciously Give Other People Permission To Do The Same.
And As We Are Liberated From Our Own Fear, Our Presence Automatically Liberates Others
- Marianne Williamson -
[NOTE – BEING AFRAID AND REFUSING TO GET INVOLVED WON’T STOP US FROM DYING. BUT BEING AFRAID CAN PREVENT US FROM LIVING]
(Nkosi Sikeleli Africa )
God bless Africa May her glory be lifted high Hear our petitions .
God bless us, Your children God we ask You to protect our nation Intervene and end all conflicts Protect us, protect our nation, our nation.
From the blue of our heaven, From the depths of our sea, Over our eternal mountain ranges, Where the cliffs give answer.
Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.
[Enoch Mankayi Sontonga]
WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!
[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx] / [gcnlive.com] / [http://alexjonesringtones.net/] Life Is A Game. Have Fun . Luke 18:17 - Isaiah 11:6
* 16 European Nations . Met And Plotted On How They Would Rob Africa Of Its Riches.
* They met during two(2) Periods of time in two(2) places
* The General Act Of Berlin Conference (Nov, 1884 to February, 1885)
* Brussels Belgium to finalize SECRET agreements ( Nov, 1889 to July 1890)
* The Book “King Leopold’s Ghost (1998) by Adam Hochschild documents some of This information.
The following Nations (Households) - Planned how they would divide among themselves our AFRICAN Riches.
1) Austria-Hungary - Francis Joseph I Charles - August 18, 1830 -
2) Belgium - King Leopold II – April 9, 1835
3) Denmark - Frederik VIII -June 3, 1843
4) France - Marie François Sadi Carnot – August 11, 1837 -
5) Germany - Wilhelm II -– January 27, 1859
6) Great Britain - Queen Victoria (Hanover) – May 24, 1819 – British Ruler – 2nd
7) Holland –William III – February 19, 1817
8) Italy - Umberto I - March 14, 1844 -
9) Norway - Oscar II [Oscar Frederik] – January 21, 1829 (Also Sweden)
10) Portugal - Carlos I – September 28, 1863
11) Russia - Alexander III Alexandrovich – March 10, 1845
12) Spain - Alfonso XIII – May 17, 1886
13) Sweden - Oscar II – January 21, 1829 (Also Norway)
14) Turkey - Abdülhamid II, - September 2 or September 22 - 1842 -
15) United States - Benjamin Harrison – August 20, 1833 -
16) Persia (Iran) - Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar – July 16, 1831 –
For centuries Black Africans have been exploited and exploited in the name of Islam. Then with the coming of the Portueses (so-called Christians) to Ghana around the 1440s , the so-called Christians started their exploitation.
We Black Africans are puzzling. We have a bounty of riches around us, yet we persist in allowing outsiders to steal them; while we fight each other over trivial matters.
Just in case you're wondering, here's some Black Africans who have done wondrous things to change the way we live in the world.
For example : Garrett-Augustus Morgan invented the Traffic Signal to CURB (no pun intended) TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS !!!
* Buridge & Marshman - TYPEWRITER
* George Carruthers - X-RAY MACHINE
* George Washington Carver - PEANUT BUTTER - PAINTS – PAINT STAINS – ETC
* W.A. Dietz - SHOE
* Charles R. Drew - BLOOD PLASMA STORAGE SYSTEM
* Michael Harney - LANTERN
* Augustus Jackson - ICE CREAM
* H.A. Jackson - KITCHEN TABLE
* Isaac R. Johnson - BICYCLE FRAME
* John A. Johnson - WRENCH
* Frederick M. Jones - DEFROSTER - REFRIGERATION CONTROLS – AIR CONDITIONER
* Jones & Long - BOTTLE CAPS
* Lewis Latimer & Nichols - ELECTIC LAMP
* John L. Love - PENCIL SHARPENER
* Tony J. Marshall - FIRE EXTINGUISHER
* Alexander Miles - ELEVATOR
* W.A. Martin - LOCK
* Garrett A. Morgan - GAS MASK - Traffic Signal
* Lydia Newman - HAIR BRUSH - Nov 15, 1898
* W.B. Purvis - FOUNTAIN PEN
* L.P. Ray - DUST PAN
* W.H. Richardson - BABY BUGGY
* G.T. Sampson - CLOTHES DRYER
* .W. Smith - LAWN SPRINKLER
* J. Standard - REFRIGERATOR
* T.W. Stewart - MOP
* Maxine Snowden - RAIN HAT - 1983
* Paul E. Williams - HELICOPTER
* Granville T. Woods - Roller Coaster
* Granville T. Woods - Telegraph Transmission Devices - Dec 2, 1884 Patents # - 308, 816 (7)
Thanks to The Black Inventors Museum P.O. Box 76128 Los Angeles , Calif. (90076) Phone (310) 859-4602)
Director : Ghanaian Mr. Hamza Salifa
Contributor of Information : SEESTAH Imahkus Nzinga Okofo
[This inspiring poem was featuring in the movie “Coach Carter ”]
Our Deepest Fear Is Not That We Are Inadequate,
Our Deepest Fear Is That We Are Powerful Beyond Measure.
It Is Our Light , Not Our Darkness That Most Frightens Us.
We Ask Ourselves, Who Am I To Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented, And Fabulous ?
Actually Who Are We Not To Be ? You Are A Child Of God.
Your Playing Small Doesn’t Serve The World.
There Is Nothing Enlightened About Shrinking So That Other People Won’t Feel Insecure Around You.
We Are All Meant To Shine, As Children Do.
We Were Born To Make Manifest The Glory Of God That Is Within Us.
It’s Not Just In Some Of Us; It’s In Everyone.
And When We Let Our Own Light Shine We Unconsciously Give Other People Permission To Do The Same.
And As We Are Liberated From Our Own Fear, Our Presence Automatically Liberates Others
- Marianne Williamson -
(Nkosi Sikeleli Africa )
God bless Africa May her glory be lifted high Hear our petitions .
God bless us, Your children God we ask You to protect our nation Intervene and end all conflicts Protect us, protect our nation, our nation.
From the blue of our heaven, From the depths of our sea, Over our eternal mountain ranges, Where the cliffs give answer.
Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.
[Enoch Mankayi Sontonga]
WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!
[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx] / [gcnlive.com] / [http://alexjonesringtones.net/] Life Is A Game. Have Fun . Luke 18:17 - Isaiah 11:6
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