South Asian Nations Bow to US Pressure Over ICC
‘US Forces Nations to Help Its Citizens Avoid International Court’
Under threat of losing economic and military aid from the United States, forty-three of the world's poorest nations have caved in to American pressure and signed agreements not to send US citizens for trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which was set up last year to hear allegations of crimes against humanity. They include Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka (with Bangladesh and Pakistan likely to follow suit).
Washington, which has forces deployed in more than 140 countries, is vehemently opposed to the ICC, arguing that US soldiers, officials and citizens will become targets for political reasons.
Adapted from Robert Verkaik’s article, ‘US Forces Nations to Help Its Citizens Avoid International Court’, published on June 30, 2003 by The lndependent/UK
Posted by collective at August 14, 2003 04:58 PM
