Amnesty International has described as "deplorable" the African Union’s (AU) declaration that no senior government officials should appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The International humanitarian society says a call for the deferral of the cases against Kenya’s leaders is also unacceptable.

At the Extraordinary Summit of the AU on the question of Africa’s relationship with the ICC in Addis Ababa on October 11 and 12 , African leaders declared that no senior government officials should appear before the international court in the Hague.

They also called for a deferral of ICC's crimes against humanity charges against Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, and his Deputy, Willam Ruto..

AU members are calling on the UN Security Council to set up a contact group of the AU Executive Council to take up the matter.

 But Amnesty International's Deputy Director of Law and Policy, Tawanda Hondora, says “this declaration sends the wrong message, that politicians on the African continent will place their political interests above those of victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide".

 “Requesting the deferral of the trials of Kenyatta and Ruto would send a strong message that the victims of the post-election violence in Kenya don’t matter,” said Tawanda Hondora,

 Amnesty International said it "recognises that Kenya has suffered a horrendous assault, with significant loss of life and livelihoods, but this must not be used to insulate the Kenyan president and his deputy from appearing before the ICC.

“Victims of the post-election violence have waited over five years to see the cogs of justice turn after Kenya failed to deliver justice and the ICC stepped in. These trials should and must go ahead. Any move by the Security Council on foot of the AU’s request to delay justice would be political interference in independent judicial proceedings.”

 AU leaders also attempted to call for the withdrawal of the 34 African countries that are members of the Rome Statute of the ICC if the Kenyan cases are not dropped or deferred, but they did not succeed. 

Amnesty International had called on African leaders not to support such a move amid fears that states critical of the ICC would follow the example of the Kenyan Parliament which on September 5 voted to leave the Court.

“African states played a vital role in setting up the ICC and have an unquestionable stake in producing a just, fair and effective court,” said Tawanda Hondora.