The Muslim Lawyers Association in Johannesburg has called for the arrest and prosecution of President Obama for war crimes when he arrives in South Africa on June 29, the nonprofit said in a statement.
The MLA has submitted a 600-plus-page request to the Office of the National Director of Public Prosecution to arrest the U.S. president, the South African daily newspaper The Times reported.
According to the report, the MLA mainly objects to Mr. Obama’s drone program, which it says unfairly targets Muslim civilians.
“The complaint, dubbed the ’Obama Docket’ encourages South Africa to take seriously its domestic and international obligations and to act against International War Criminals lest they consider South Africa a safe haven and travel here freely with impunity,” the MLA said in a press release
MLA spokesman Yousha Tayob said that in terms of the Rome Statute, South Africa has the right to prosecute a war criminal on its territory.
The spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in South Africa, Jack Hillmeyer, said it had “no comment,” The Times reported.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Bulelwa Makeke said the office had received the document and was studying it, The Times reported.
According to the MLA’s Facebook page, the group is dedicated “to creating a community free of injustice as expounded by the Holy Quran and the practices of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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