Strengthen African courts on human and people’s rights-CPA tells AU 


The Coalition of Pan-Africanists (CPA), a Civil Society Organization (CSO) in Ghana, has urged the African Union (AU) to strengthen the African Court on Human and People’s Rights to deal with errant African leaders.
 
A member of the Coalition, Mr. Ayuure Kapini, who made the call in a statement delivered on behalf of CPA at a news conference in Accra, yesterday, said the Coalition was convinced that the AU could also use sanctions to isolate right-violating leaders on the African continent.
 
The Coalition, Mr. Kapini said, was gravely concerned about the treatment being meted out to African leaders by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for perceived violations of human rights,, perpetration of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and accused the ICC of employing selective retributive justice and discriminating against African leaders.
 
He said the Coalition wondered why perpetrators of the invasion of Iraq, Abhu Graib abuses by American troops, brutal and inhuman military campaign in Afghanistan against innocent civilians, NATO and US killings of 828 non-combatants in Afghanistan and the daily massacre of innocent citizens in Palestine went unnoticed by ICC.
 
Mr Kapini explained that the Coalition was only raising genuine questions about the ICC and its relationship with African leaders and was, by no means, condoning war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by any African leader.
 
SOURCE: ISD (G.D. Zaney)