Does Ethiopia have a reason not to ratify the Rome Statute? Examination of Arguments “For” and “Against” Ratification.
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Date
2020-01
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AAU
Abstract
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International criminal court (ICC). It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy on July 1998 and it entered into force on 1 July, 2002. 122 countries are states parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Although most countries in the world, especially African countries, are members of this court, Ethiopia has not yet joined. This thesis examines whether Ethiopia has a reason not to ratify the Rome Statute. The ICC has been set up as complementary to the national courts to deal with the worst crimes facing the world; genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. The crimes seen at the international criminal court are so serious; so far little research has been done on the validity of reasons for Ethiopia’s refusal to accede to the Rome Statute. This thesis is intended to fill this gap. Different methods have been used to deal with this question. A series of interviews were held with key informants, and various documents have been analyzed. Using empirical evidence, argumentative and comparative analyses it is found out that there is a difference between the reasons Ethiopia provided as a justification for declining the membership of the court during the discussion of the draft of the Rome Statute and that of the reasons it cites twenty years later. The reasons mentioned at both times are not valid to stay away from the Rome Statute. Thus, Ethiopia should ratify the Rome Statute and make its laws compatible with the Rome Statute.
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Rome Statue, ratification, reason