The President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Mr. Sidiki Kaba, will hold a press conference today, 24 October 2016 at 15:00 hours (GMT) at the Ministry of Justice located at Avenue Jean XXIII BP 4030 in Dakar, Senegal. The recording of the press conference will be posted on line as soon as possible in its original version, with a translation into English to follow. Journalists who may wish to pose questions to President Kaba may send them by 13:00 hours (GMT), to Mr. Soro Diop at [email protected].
The President of the Assembly will address the recently announced withdrawal of South Africa and Burundi from the Rome Statute. The withdrawal will only come into effect one year after notification to the United Nations Secretary-General, who is the depositary. President Kaba regrets these decisions and has invited South Africa and Burundi to reconsider their positions. Furthermore, the President of the Assembly is concerned that these disturbing events could pave way for other African States Parties to withdraw from the Rome Statute system.
President Kaba urges all States Parties to work together in fighting impunity for the most heinous crimes that shock the conscience of humanity, namely genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression. He calls upon all States Parties to support the International Criminal Court to ensure its effectiveness and credibility in order to safeguard universal justice to all victims of mass crimes.
Video of the Press Conference by the President of the ASP,
Mr. Sidiki Kaba,
on 24 October 2016 in Dakar (in French)
Transcript -
English | Français
Video Part-1
https://youtu.be/1-uyaCJSaWQ?t=71
Video Part-2
https://youtu.be/YSlLfpvIYnA
Video Part-3
https://youtu.be/tqVzLya3RnM
Further information about the Assembly of States Parties can be found on the website of the International Criminal Court.