APM mum on ICC pullout
Malawi is yet to make its stand known on whether to pull out of the Switzerland-based International Criminal Court (ICC) as requested by the new African Union (AU) chairperson Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
During the closing ceremony of AU’s 24th Ordinary Session of Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Ethiopia last month, Mugabe asked African nations to pull out of ICC. Some African leaders such as Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta have already rallied behind Mugabe’s call.
However, President Peter Mutharika, who attended the summit in Ethiopia where Mugabe made the request, has remained silent on the matter.
Commenting on it on February 3 2015 during a press briefing on his AU summit participation, Mutharika was non-committal on whether or not he supports Mugabe’s call. Malawi is a signatory to the treaty that established ICC.
Several attempts to get the President’s position have proved futile as no response has come out of State House.
But the Malawi Law Society (MLS) has said the Rome Statute, to which Malawi is a party, has provisions for withdrawal and if a decision were made for Malawi to withdraw, such provisions would have to be followed.
