ICC Refuses to Lift LRA Arrest Warrants

Further to Julian’s post on Friday, the ICC has already made clear that it has no intention of lifting the warrants:

The office of the prosecutor of International Criminal Court Thursday insisted arrest warrants for Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, rebels in Uganda remain in effect following news Kampala has agreed to set up national courts to handle LRA crimes.

“The office of the prosecutor is not a party to the peace process,” the office said in a statement. “The arrest warrants against the LRA commanders were issued by the court and remain in effect.”

The ICC’s position is sound, given that Uganda’s national courts cannot possibly satisfy the principle of complementarity. I will explain why in a post in the next couple of days.