Burundi has become the first country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
First, lets take a look at the ICC. It is a court that operates independent of any country, and its role is to judge political leaders that are accused of war crimes or cruelty against their people. It was started in 2002. There are over 120 member countries.
Why did Burundi want to withdraw? A few African countries have complained in recent times that the ICC is biased against Africa. Also, many of the world’s powerful countries have the ability to prevent the ICC from investigating their citizens. As a result, a few African countries have threatened to withdraw. Burundi is the first to do so. A few months ago, the ICC started an investigation into the killing of many people in Burundi who were protesting against the government.
Image Credits: ICC for its logo
Sources: ICC, New York Times