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Friday, October 21, 2016

Burundi's parliament Overwhelmingly approves a bill that calls for the country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC)Wednesday Oct 12,2016


Burundi, appeared set to become the first county to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty establishing International Criminal Court (ICC)based in The Hague,Netherlands, after its Parliament Voted last week to leave.

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.

94 out of 110 legislators voted in favour of the draft law on Wednesday Oct 12,2016, 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No country has ever withdrawn from the ICC.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's President Pierre Nkurunziza signed a decree on Tuesday Oct 19,2016, but the United Nations has not yet been officially notified.


The ICC, which opened in July 2002 and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes

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