Burundi to leave International Criminal Court, official says

Published October 07, 2016

A Burundi official says the country will withdraw from the International Criminal Court, months after the court said it will investigate violence sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza's re-election.

Burundi's first vice president, Gaston Sindimwo, said Thursday that the government had presented a draft law in parliament to debate how the country can withdraw from its membership in the ICC.

Sindimwo also accused the court of violating the rights of Africans.

African countries have threatened a withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty which created the ICC, accusing the court of disproportionately targeting African countries in its investigations.

Hundreds of people have died in Burundi since Nkurunziza last year pursued and won a third term that many oppose as unconstitutional.

The ICC in April said it will investigate the violence.

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