Outgoing Prosecutor Praised for Expanding ICC's Reach
Voice of America
PARIS - First woman, first African and only the second chief prosecutor of the still-young International Criminal Court, Gambia’s Fatou Bensouda leaves office Tuesday both praised for pushing The Hague tribunal’s boundaries as court of last resort, and skewered for key setbacks under her watch.
Under her nine-year tenure, Bensouda secured groundbreaking convictions, including the first-ever indictment defining an attack on cultural heritage as a war crime. But she also lost high-profile cases against Ivory Coast’s ex-president, Laurent Gbagbo, and former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba. Early in her tenure, Bensouda saw charges dropped against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President William Ruto over post-election violence, for reasons including alleged political interference. British lawyer Karim Khan, who defended Ruto in the case, takes over as chief prosecutor.Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak addresses a press conference in front of the F D Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia on May 19, 2024, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is being treated. FILE - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Jan. 24, 2024.
FILE - A child kicks a football in front of a mural of the country's first Black president and leader of the ruling African National Congress Nelson Mandela, in Soweto, South Africa, as the country celebrates Freedom Day, on April 27, 2024. FILE - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, center, dances to music as he attends Freedom Day celebrations in Pretoria, South Africa, on April 27, 2024. FILE - Main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party leader John Steenhuisen waves to supporters in Pretoria, South Africa, on Feb. 17, 2024, at the party's manifesto launch ahead of the 2024 general elections. FILE - Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema at the party's manifesto launch in Durban, South Africa, on Feb. 10, 2024. FILE - Former South African president, Jacob Zuma, sings and dances after addressing his supporters of the UMkhonto WeSizwe, (MK) party outside the High court in Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 11, 2024.
Ella Anthony, left, and her partner Doris Ezuruike Chinons pose for a photo with their dog Paddy, during an interview in their house in Passo Corese, near Rome, Italy, March 11, 2024. Ella Anthony and her partner Doris Ezuruike Chinons show photos of themselves during an interview in their house in Passo Corese, near Rome, Italy, March 11, 2024. FILE - Chris Agiriga, 23, one of the Nigerian men arrested on charges of public display of affection with members of the same sex, walks with a friend on the streets of Mushin in Lagos, Feb. 14, 2020. Ella Anthony smiles during an interview in the supermarket where she works, in Rome, Italy, March 26, 2024.