George Kimmitt: The dark side of the ICC’s activities: how a humanitarian consultant becam the accused

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is facing a growing wave of criticism. This includes accusations of double standards, tensions with several states that have announced their withdrawal from the Rome Statute, and the scandal surrounding Prosecutor Karim Khan, who has faced allegations of misconduct and abuse of power. Amid these broader controversies surrounding the ICC, the case of Joseph Martin Figueira—a Portuguese-Belgian researcher and humanitarian consultant—has gone largely unnoticed.
The essence of this case goes beyond the arrest of a non-governmental organization employee in the Central African Republic. It raises sensitive questions about the nature of the relationship b...