MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A formal notice, seen by South Africa’s Daily Maverick newspaper, announced the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the ICC founding treaty.
14 January 2016, 17:34 GMT
South African diplomats handed over the document to the United Nations in New York. The withdrawal process reportedly lasts one year but requires parliamentary approval.
The South African government accused the ICC, which tries war criminals, of repeatedly going after heads of African states. The decision to quit was reportedly spurred by the ICC’s request that South Africa turn in the Sudanese president during his visit to Johannesburg in 2015.
