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IOL News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Justice Minister Kubayi heads to Ghana for crucial International Criminal Court retreat on Kampala Amendments
Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi travels to Accra for a key ICC retreat, advancing Africa's unified stance on the Kampala Amendments and strengthening international justice cooperation. Image: File Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, is travelling to Accra, Ghana, on Monday to participate in a high-level retreat on the Kampala Amendments and International Criminal Justice from May 19 to 21, 2025. The retreat will bring together Ministers of Justice and senior officials from all 33 African States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as representatives from the ICC Presidency, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), the ICC Trust Fund for Victims, African Union officials, and international legal experts. These amendments define the Crime of Aggression and establish the conditions under which the ICC can exercise jurisdiction over it, said Terrence Manase, spokesperson to the Minister. According to Manase, an act of aggression includes using armed force by one state against another in violation of the United Nations (UN) Charter, such as invasion, military occupation, annexation by force, bombardment, or blockade. 'The Ministry welcomes this opportunity for meaningful engagement and continental collaboration as African States continue to shape a credible and effective international criminal justice system.' 'Minister Kubayi's participation highlights the country's support for multilateralism, the fight against impunity, and the advancement of an inclusive and balanced global justice system,'' he said. The retreat builds on a successful pilot meeting held in Johannesburg in October 2024, which raised awareness and fostered a sense of ownership among African States Parties in advocating for a fair and legitimate crime of aggression regime. 'The Johannesburg retreat was a turning point. It laid the foundation for Africa to speak with one voice on the issue of aggression and the future of international justice,' said Manase. 'This next phase in Accra is about consolidating that progress and finalising a unified African position.' Manase noted that the Kampala Amendments on the Crime of Aggression are a set of legal changes adopted in 2010 at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), held in Kampala, Uganda. The retreat, organised in partnership with the Ministries of Justice of Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, will further deliberate on an amendment proposal submitted by the Group of Friends (GoF), a coalition of supportive states. 'The Minister views this as an essential step in strengthening the global justice system from an African perspective,' Manase said. Manase said the goal is to finalise a unified African position on the Kampala Amendments ahead of discussions at the Assembly of States Parties. [email protected] Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Politics
IOL News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Justice Minister Kubayi heads to Ghana for crucial International Criminal Court retreat on Kampala Amendments
Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi travels to Accra for a key ICC retreat, advancing Africa's unified stance on the Kampala Amendments and strengthening international justice cooperation. Image: File Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, is travelling to Accra, Ghana, on Monday to participate in a high-level retreat on the Kampala Amendments and International Criminal Justice from May 19 to 21, 2025. The retreat will bring together Ministers of Justice and senior officials from all 33 African States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as representatives from the ICC Presidency, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), the ICC Trust Fund for Victims, African Union officials, and international legal experts. These amendments define the Crime of Aggression and establish the conditions under which the ICC can exercise jurisdiction over it, said Terrence Manase, spokesperson to the Minister. According to Manase, an act of aggression includes using armed force by one state against another in violation of the United Nations (UN) Charter, such as invasion, military occupation, annexation by force, bombardment, or blockade. 'The Ministry welcomes this opportunity for meaningful engagement and continental collaboration as African States continue to shape a credible and effective international criminal justice system.' 'Minister Kubayi's participation highlights the country's support for multilateralism, the fight against impunity, and the advancement of an inclusive and balanced global justice system,'' he said. The retreat builds on a successful pilot meeting held in Johannesburg in October 2024, which raised awareness and fostered a sense of ownership among African States Parties in advocating for a fair and legitimate crime of aggression regime. 'The Johannesburg retreat was a turning point. It laid the foundation for Africa to speak with one voice on the issue of aggression and the future of international justice,' said Manase. 'This next phase in Accra is about consolidating that progress and finalising a unified African position.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Manase noted that the Kampala Amendments on the Crime of Aggression are a set of legal changes adopted in 2010 at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), held in Kampala, Uganda. The retreat, organised in partnership with the Ministries of Justice of Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, will further deliberate on an amendment proposal submitted by the Group of Friends (GoF), a coalition of supportive states. 'The Minister views this as an essential step in strengthening the global justice system from an African perspective,' Manase said. Manase said the goal is to finalise a unified African position on the Kampala Amendments ahead of discussions at the Assembly of States Parties. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Politics
The South African
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Justice minister travels to Ghana for tips on combating crime
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mamoloko Kubayi, is today 19 May 2025, travelling to the Republic of Ghana. She will be one of the participants in a high-level retreat on the Kampala Amendments and International Criminal Justice. 'The Kampala Amendments on the Crime of Aggression are a set of legal changes adopted in 2010 at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), held in Kampala, Uganda', said Justice spokesperson, Terrence Manase. Manase said the three-day retreat is scheduled to take place from 19 to 21 May 2025. Minister Kubayi's participation will highlight South Africa's support for multilateralism. 'It will also address the fight against impunity and the advancement of an inclusive and balanced global justice system', said Manase. According to the Justice Ministry, the retreat will bring together Justice Ministers and senior officials from 33 African State Parties to the International Criminal Court. They will be among representatives from the ICC Presidency and the Assembly of States Parties. Also joining the retreat is the ICC Trust Fund for Victims, senior African Union officials and international legal experts. 'The event follows the successful pilot retreat in Johannesburg in October of 2024 which raised awareness and fostered a sense of ownership among African States Parties to advocate for a crime of aggression regime that is both fair and legitimate', said Manase. According to him, the Joburg gathering also initiated the process of an amendment proposal being submitted by African States. He said it also laid the groundwork for an Africa-led amendment proposal. Additionally, Manase said it reaffirmed the Africa's commitment to a fair and legitimate international criminal justice framework. The re-treat is organised in partnership with the Justice Ministries from Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Manase said the Accra retreat will continue building from the outcomes of the Johannesburg gathering. He anticipated that it would serve as a platform to further deliberate on the amendment proposal submitted by the Group of Friends. The amendments define the Crime of Aggression and establish the conditions under which the ICC can exercise jurisdiction over it. 'An act of aggression includes using armed force by one state against another in violation of the United Nations (UN) Charter, such as, invasion, military occupation, annexation by force, bombardment, or blockade', said Manase. He concluded that the goal is to finalise a unified African position on the Kampala Amendments. The Justice Ministry is planning to achieve this ahead of discussions at the Assembly of States Parties. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
