Malaysia has turn into a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the minister announced on Tuesday, a lift to the beleaguered institution at a time when it faces growing criticism.
The ICC is the world’s only everlasting war crimes tribunal, designed to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling.
However, the tribunal in The Hague has come under fire over high-profile acquittals, Burundi became the primary country to go away the tribunal in 2017, and the Philippines announced its intention to withdraw.
Malaysia’s latest, reform-minded government that got here to power last 12 months said it might join the ICC, and Human Resources Minister M. Kula Segaran confirmed that the country had signed the court’s founding treaty on Monday.
Malaysia becomes the 124th member of the court since its establishment in 2002. It will officially turn into a member of the court on June 1, 2019.
“By joining the ICC, Kuala Lumpur can now play a crucial role on issues related to crimes against humanity,” Segaran, who has long advocated for Malaysia’s membership, told AFP.
Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah signed the ICC’s founding treaty after the Malaysian government approved the move, the foreign ministry confirmed in an announcement late Monday.
In January, the ICC suffered a significant defeat when judges acquitted former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo over a wave of post-election violence, raising latest questions on whether the court is fit for purpose.
Burundi’s decision to withdraw got here after the ICC’s chief prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation in 2016 into possible crimes against humanity within the Central African country during a political crisis.
Last March, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced he was withdrawing from the tribunal’s founding treaty after the court opened an investigation into his government’s deadly drug war.
Source : ABS-CBN News | Lawyer
