The Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, according to a Daily Graphic report carried yesterday, has reiterated Ghana’s commitment to supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes.
The paper quoted the Minister as saying that as a signatory of the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, Ghana would not relent in its efforts to ensure that the ICC played its critical role in promoting justice globally.
Speaking at a Justice Ministers Conference in London, UK, on Monday this week, the
A-G maintained that Ghana would support the ICC as it sets out to investigate war crimes in war zones, such as Ukraine and other places.
“Ghana’s recognition and support for the work of the ICC is in line with her cherished tradition and culture in the protection of international human rights and the work of international courts set up with the object of consolidating such values,” Mr. Dame was quoted as saying.
The Attorney General further stated that Ghana had given unflinching support to the ICC since its establishment, and even went as far as not joining other African countries to boycott the Court in 2017, and would continue to support it, particularly, in its investigative work with regards to the situation in Ukraine.
“Ghana supports the investigative work of the ICC Prosecutor in the situation in Ukraine in line with its accountability mandate to ensure that individuals found culpable of egregious crimes in violation of the Rome Statute are investigated and brought to book under international law,” he said.
First of all, The Chronicle does not support Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine in what is being described as a ‘special military exercise’. In our opinion, the differences between Ukraine and Russia could have been resolved through dialogue, with the United Nations serving as the mediator.
Unfortunately, Russia prefers war to dialogue, and the result is the economic pain the world is currently going through. Millions, if not billions, of people in Africa, the Middle East and some Asian countries depend on Ukraine’s wheat for survival. The geographical area of Ukraine and Russia produces a massive chunk of the world’s grain and fertiliser, but since the war started, the supply chain of these commodities has been disrupted, resulting in hunger in most of these countries.
Though Russia and Ukraine are far away from Ghana, because the world is now considered a global village, we have seriously been affected by the war. We cannot, therefore, by any shred of imagination, say that we support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the adage goes; ‘When two elephants fight it is the ground that suffers’. Yes, we are not part of the war, but we are seriously suffering from its effects.
But, whilst we are against Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine, the fact must also be established that the war is between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and Russia. On the basis of this, our government officials must be careful when making public pronouncement on the war.
Already, the ICC has issued a warrant for the arrest of President Vladimir Putin and one of his officials for the alleged atrocities happening in Ukraine. Since this announcement was made public, the world’s powerful states have kept mute about it, but our Attorney General has the temerity, through a platform offered him in London, to comment on the issue.
Not only did he open his mouth to talk, but went to the extent of saying that Ghana supported the investigation being conducted into the alleged atrocities in Ukraine, because we are a member of the ICC. In fact, when it comes to international geo-politics, Ghana is just a fly – we are simply powerless. We should, therefore, not assume that because we are also a member of the international community, we can comment on sensitive matters that are the ‘preserve’ of the ‘Big Brothers.’
Definitely, the African Union (AU), of which Ghana is a member, is privy to this news, but its leadership is yet to comment on it, so why should we jump the gun? Have we, as a state, abandoned the non-aligned policy, which has been in existence for decades now? Yes, what Russia is doing is not good, but you don’t go to the extent of saying publicly that we support the investigation, when we have nothing to do with NATO, which is fighting the war from behind.
If we are calling for investigations and subsequent prosecution of Putin and his allies for war crimes, can Ghana approach Russia tomorrow for economic assistance after the war has ended? We must certainly cut our coat according to our cloth. Even countries that have got the financial wherewithal have kept quiet and are playing neutral, how much more Ghana that is currently in an economic turmoil? We should not be seen to be punching above our weight.
