PhotoJOHANNESBURG — South Africa has revoked its decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, citing in a letter submitted to the United Nations a recent court ruling that declared the withdrawal “unconstitutional and invalid.”It was not clear, however, if the statement on Tuesday meant that South Africa had permanently abandoned intentions of leaving the international court, or if it was seeking another way to do so. Two other African nations, Burundi and Gambia, also announced plans to leave the international court, despite intense international pressure to stay. South Africa acknowledged that point in its letter to the United Nations, saying that the High Court “found that the approval of the Parliament of South Africa had to be obtained” for the country to withdraw from the international court. “Obviously, the process has been tainted, and it’s not going to help them by appealing the judgment of the High Court. Mr. Bashir, who is wanted by the international court on genocide charges, traveled to South Africa in 2015 to attend a meeting of the African Union, and South Africa, as a member of the court, was legally required to arrest him.

Source: New York Times March 08, 2017 09:24 UTC