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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Crime & Justice

Chad Announces Withdrawal from International Criminal Court, Citing Selectivity

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Chad has notified the UN of its intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  • The Chadian Foreign Ministry cited the ICC's "limited and uneven" effectiveness and "egregious selectivity" in its prosecutions, particularly against African states.
  • Chad urged other African Union members to follow suit, asserting that national and African judicial systems are capable of delivering justice.

Chad's government has formally announced its intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the foundational treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicated this decision to the UN Secretary General, marking Chad as the fourth francophone African nation with close military ties to its government to take such a step in under a year, following Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

an in-depth review of the functioning of the International Criminal Court since it began operating in 2002 and of its record, whose effectiveness remains limited and uneven across different regions.

— Chad's Foreign MinistryStating the reasons behind the decision to withdraw from the ICC.

The ministry stated that its decision stemmed from an "in-depth review" of the ICC's operations since 2002, concluding that its effectiveness is "limited and uneven." Chad specifically pointed to what it described as "undeniable and egregious selectivity" in the court's record of prosecutions. The statement highlighted that out of 13 ICC investigations launched, nine focused on African states, while only four involved other regions with "without any concrete progress."

an undeniable and egregious selectivity in principle, whether or not this selectivity is desired or subjected.

— Chad's Foreign MinistryDescribing the alleged bias in the ICC's prosecution record.

Furthermore, Chad alleged that of the seven individuals detained by the ICC, only one was from outside the African continent, reinforcing its claim of a persistent focus on the "Global South in general and the African continent in particular." The government appealed to other African Union members to consider similar withdrawals, asserting that Chad's decision does not signify a renunciation of justice for victims but rather a conviction in the capacity of national and regional judicial mechanisms.

This irrevocable decision by Chad in no way constitues a renunication of the moral imperative to provide justice to victims; rather, it reflects the conviction that national judicial systems and African judicial mechanisms are fully capable of carrying out this mission with dignity.

— Chad's Foreign MinistryExplaining the rationale behind the withdrawal, emphasizing national judicial capabilities.

The withdrawal announcement follows Chad's Foreign Ministry raising concerns about the ICC in a statement after talks with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia Jr. The ministry indicated that the U.S. had urged Chad to reconsider its ICC membership, expressing concerns about the institution's functionality. Chad stated that this request would be examined by the relevant authorities. The move also coincides with a recent vote to dismiss the ICC's chief prosecutor amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

The US side expressed its concerns about the functionality of this institution and desired that Chad reexamine its commitment to the Rome Statute.

— Chad's Foreign MinistryDetailing the US government's stance on Chad's ICC membership.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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