ICC in the Media, Update #37

This past week the media has touched upon many currently ongoing investigations or cases in the International Criminal Court. Last week reportedly British and French diplomats indicated that if Gaddafi stepped down from power, he would be able to safely and peacefully remain in Libya. However, this week a spokesperson for the ICC reiterated that if Gaddafi were to step down the new ruling party would be obligated to arrest him. In the ongoing Bemba case, where the former Vice President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is on trial for 48 counts of war crimes, this week the former VP was named by the DRC's opposition party as their pick to run for president in November. In the Kenya case, reportedly all six suspects have been interviewed by the Kenyan authorities in an attempt to convince the ICC judges that domestic proceedings in Kenya are credible and underway. The judges have yet to weigh in on whether these measures alter their prior ruling granting the ICC jurisdiction over the cases. In the Sudan cases, United Nations reports have surfaced detailing extreme violence perpetrated by the government against the Nuba people since the independence of South Sudan. These reports have renewed calls for international action to arrest President Bashir. The nomination period for the new ICC prosecutor, which began in June, was announced this week by President of the Assembly of States Parties Christian Wenaweser to end on September 9, 2011. In a statement released by the ICC, Wenaweser said he was encouraged by cooperation from a variety on international sources including states, civil society and academia. In other news, the ICC continues its campaign to recruit African female lawyers, a population that is underrepresented in the Court. Although the campaign has gone on for several years, it has reportedly only yielded 2 African women lawyers. Photo credit: AFP.