Civil Society rejects AU stance

Background
We, the 40 representatives of African civil society organisations (including the media), the legal profession, other relevant organisations, and concerned individuals and academics (see the list below), participated in a meeting in Cape Town on 11 May 2009 to consider the implications of the African Union's recent decisions on universal jurisdiction and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Africa. The meeting was convened by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and produced this statement that expresses the views of a segment of African civil society directly involved in human rights and justice work on the continent.

The statement has been prepared and issued ahead of the gathering of African States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC convened by the African Union (AU) Commission and currently scheduled to take place from 8 - 9 June 2009 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Workshop conclusions