War Crimes In Cameroon: ICC Says Needs Referral From UN Security Council Or Relevant States

“The information you have submitted will be maintained in our archives, and the decision not to proceed may be reconsidered if new facts or evidence provide a reasonable basis to believe that the allegations fall within the jurisdiction of the Court. The decision may also be reviewed if there is an acceptance of jurisdiction by the relevant States or a referral from the Security Council” Head of the Information & Evidence Unit Office of the Prosecutor at ICC, Mark P. Dillon, told Petitioner, Leonel Beteck Kome.

Leonel Beteck has said his next step will be to investigate if any member(s) of Paul Biya’s entourage “In this regard, I will carry out a personal investigation to determine the second nationalities of these perpetrators in the Biya Regime and immediately provide the Prosecutor of the ICC with such information.”

He further explained that going by the ICC statement, there are still avenues for them to proceed further with the case:

• A referral from the United Nations Security Council would automatically provide the ICC with jurisdiction as in the cases of Sudan, Lybia, etc.
• If dictator Paul Biya and his collaborators who perpetrate these war crimes and crimes against humanity are found to have nationalities of any signatory state under ICC jurisdiction, then the case can be reactivated and proceeded further, considering them as citizens of such signatory states with ICC jurisdiction.

• If Cameroon ever ratifies the Rome Statute which provides the ICC direct jurisdiction, the case can be reactivated and proceeded further.

“Therefore, these perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Paul Biya Regime should bear in mind that, they will always remain prosecutable for their crimes.” He said.

“Dictator Paul Biya and his collaborators who perpetrate these War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, should now understand very clearly that, the ICC now possesses very strong evidence revealing the perpetration of these egregious crimes by the Cameroon military under the command of the Paul Biya Regime. I have submitted to the ICC tones of videos, pictures, testimonials, and documents as evidence which clearly show the Cameroon military perpetrating these egregious crimes, which the ICC has now stored in its archives for possible future use.

I will continue to work hard to provide the Prosecutor of the ICC with any necessary information that would lead to the reactivation and further procession of the case as mentioned above. I also urge every human rights advocates to exert efforts in seeking for justice for the thousands of innocent civilians who have been victimized in these egregious crimes in the English speaking regions of Cameroon.” Leonel told CNA