Title: An end to impunity: the International Criminal Court's indictment of African dictators and leaders

Authors: Boitumelo Mmusinyane; Steven Sekirya Serumaga-Zake

Addresses: Department of Private Law, School of Law, University of South Africa, P.O. Box 392, UNISA 0003, South Africa ' Department of Legal Sciences, Vaal University of Technology, Private Bag x 021, Andres Potgieter Boulevard, Vanderbijlpark, 1900, South Africa

Abstract: Africa has for long been seen as a hub for the cultivation and preservation of dictators hoping to stay in power forever. The adoption of the Rome Statute seems to have brought an immunity paradigm shift by bringing hope to the victims of these tyrannical rules. Although the ICC is viewed by many African leaders as a tool used by the West to victimise African leaders and humiliate them on the international platform, this paper attempts to critically justify the ICC's mission through evaluating possible reasons why the ICC should be supported and encouraged. Advantages such as the possibility of redressing the rampant impunity pandemic is the major justification why it may be using Africa as a test to bring an end to impunity at the same time rehabilitating those still in power to comply with the international humanitarian and human rights law obligations.

Keywords: impunity; African dictators; African leaders; international crime; International Criminal Court; ICC; international law; humanitarian law; human rights law.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLAP.2014.060079

International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 2014 Vol.4 No.2, pp.120 - 130

Published online: 21 Nov 2014 *

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