WHILE David Pratt is probably right to insist on enforcing retributive measures against those who commit acts of genocide and other such crimes against humanity, I think his dismissal of some African countries declining liability for such abuses by not being members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) bears questioning ("Need to hold war criminals to account is as pressing as ever", The Herald, November 24). His article concentrates mostly on the ICC's conviction of Ratko Mladic for the Sbrenica atrocities but briefly mentions in passing United States acts in Afghanistan, and, rightly or wrongly, applies the word "alleged".
What, in my view, was not conspicuously mentioned, is that the US itself is not a member of the ICC yet it is one country that is often reported as accusing other countries of war crimes, crimes against humanity and suchlike. Surely this merits mentioning whenever the matter of war criminality is being considered?
There was, for example, the notorious clip of a US military helicopter crew gunning down a group of civilians and this was never brought before the ICC. Nor indeed was the invasion of Iraq on the false pretext of non-existent weapons of mass destruction, and the war there caused the deaths of uncountable numbers of civilians.
Ian Johnstone,
84 Forman Drive, Peterhead.
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