Notices by Timnit Gebru (she/her) (timnitgebru@dair-community.social)

But this was merely a symbolic measure.

Among the African masses...there is the perception (accurate to be frank) that the body lacks objectivity and is politically aligned.

African observers of global political affairs are all aware of how the ICC completely sidestepped Iraq and Afghanistan. The swiftness of arrest warrants for Putin, compared to the dillydallying on warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant...well it's hardly even subtle is it?

It could be with the accusations of anti African bias in mind, that the ICC appointed Fatou Bensouda, a Gambian national, as lead prosecutor for the body. She stayed in the position from 2012-2021.

Knowing this, in the scenario that the United States flouts international law and permits Netanyahu to visit Washington DC again...the ICC would refer the case to the UNSC, where the US is a permanent member with veto power. Yeah that's going to deter them :)

The only possible real deterrence for the United States is the international reputation stain that would come with being referred to as a state that provided a safe haven for war criminals with international arrest warrants.

In Africa, there is a great distrust of the ICC. The consensus among African leaders is that the ICC is a tool weaponized disproportionately against African leaders. On multiple occasions, African Union members have contemplated carrying out a joint mass withdrawal from the body.

The other reason for the loathing of the body: African leaders typically have poor human rights track records. Many know that they are all at risk of indictments, and sticking together makes sense.

What does a referral to the United Nations Security Council do for violators? Nothing. The UNSC is supposed to deliberate and issue sanctions for countries that refuse to honour ICC arrest warrants. But this same UNSC has the likes of China with permanent membership and veto powers. China was a longtime ally of Omar Al Bashir, and kept financing him despite condemnation. The UNSC is well and truly handicapped in situations like this.

A year later, Malawi refused to hold an African Union summit meeting, when the AU insisted that Al Bashir be allowed to attend. It appears that in the year since Al Bashir's first visit to Malawi, western donor states issued threats of consequences to Malawi, a poor country that relies on western humanitarian aid to feed a section of its population. So Al Bashir never returned to Malawi, and the AU summit was relocated to Ethiopia.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2012/6/9/malawi-cancels-au-summit-over-sudans-bashir

Malawi was given the same treatment in 2011. The ICC was outraged that Al Bashir essentially had the freedom to roam across the African continent, with virtually no repercussions.

During his 2010 trip to Kenya, a Kenyan court ordered Al Bashir to be arrested. But Kenyan authorities dismissed the court order, citing African Union protocol which granted him immunity from prosecution as a sitting head of state.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-16159709

In the case of Uganda and Djibouti, both parties to the Rome Statute, the ICC passed an internal ruling judging that both states failed to uphold international law by refusing to arrest Al Bashir when he visited those countries in 2015 and 2016. This document outlines the "ruling" against Djibouti.

What does the ICC do in the case of violators like Djibouti? Refer the case to the United Nations Security Council.

https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/CourtRecords/CR2016_04946.PDF

Angered by the condemnation that came for its decision, South Africa unilaterally decided to withdraw from the ICC. Eventually though, South Africa's robust court system ruled that the withdrawal was unconstitutional, and the withdrawal itself was withdrawn 😁

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39204035

South Africa defended their decision not to arrest Al Bashir in 2015, saying that the ICC's arrest warrant did not override South African law, which secures immunity for sitting heads of state.

https://www.reuters.com/article/world/south-africa-defends-decision-to-ignore-iccs-bashir-arrest-warrant-idUSKBN1791FQ/

In 2009, the ICC indicted Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir for crimes against humanity in Darfur. He made numerable visits to Ethiopia for African Union summit meetings, although Ethiopia is not a state party to the Rome Statute.

But he visited numerous other countries who are. Including Djibouti, Uganda, Malawi and yes....South Africa. The same South Africa that is pressing genocide charges against Israel at the ICJ.

https://www.reuters.com/article/economy/sudans-bashir-welcomed-in-ethiopia-despite-warrant-idUSLL945881/

THREAD: By now most of you have heard the news of the ICC's belated issuing of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. But what are the consequences for countries who refuse to arrest the Israeli Prime Minister? Africans are best placed to provide answers for this hilariously😁

Short answer: nothing.

@benignbala as far as I understand it it means the treasury secretary can unilaterally brand any nonprofit as a terrorist org and strip them of nonprofit status without any process. Presumably the only issue with being a terrorist is only having tax exempt status 🤷

52 democrats voted for this. A classic example of how your hate will come back to haunt you. They did it with glee because they wanted to target organizations against the genocide of Palestinians. https://nonprofitaf.com/2024/11/urgent-actions-to-take-this-week-to-stop-a-bill-giving-trump-unchecked-power-to-destroy-nonprofits/.

@hipsterelectron @DAIR Oh I guessed that you might be this account when I met you in person but didn't figure out until now. Thank you for coming to the conference!

But this is just one session. There will be poetry, art, workshops, and another plenary session featuring Safiya Noble, Ph.D. and Chris Gilliard, moderated by Logic Magazine editor-in-chief Khadijah Abdurahman.

Our very own Adio-Adet Dinika will also lead a Data Workers Inquiry workshop featuring Mophat Okinyi, Kings korodi and Ann Ngira.

@alshafei ➡ David Yambio is a community advocate, human rights defender and spokesperson of Refugees in Libya, who was forcibly recruited as a child soldier. As a refugee in Libya, David advocated against the European Union’s complicity in human trafficking, and strives for policy changes that safeguard refugees' rights instead. 3/

➡ @alshafei is the founding director of Majal.org, a network of online platforms that amplify under-reported and marginalized voices in West Asia and North Africa. She also founded Surveillance Watch, an interactive map that exposes the hidden connections within the opaque surveillance industry. 2/

There is still time to register for the Color of Surveillance conference happening this Monday (both in person in DC and on livestream).

▶️ Register and find the program on the website: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/privacy-technology-center/events/the-color-of-surveillance-surveillance-resistance/

My session will be a discussion with 3 amazing people.

➡ Rami Ibrahim is an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, a transnational, grassroots, volunteer-led movement of Palestinian and Arab youth struggling for the liberation of their homeland./1

Some of y'all here would see a story about someone's experience with genocide written on Google docs or discussed on Zoom & attack those bringing this story to the fore for using the wrong platform.

Makes you look so incredibly privileged & out of touch.

The priority can be to reach as many people as possible using platforms that are easy for them to use, rather than proving that one is against Big Tech.

Same attitude that makes some of the most vulnerable people not want to use Mastodon.