Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My apologies for not attending the committee earlier; I had a prior commitment in my constituency. On the way here, I listened to Mrs. Bensouda’s radio interview with Sean O’Rourke who asked some difficult and leading questions. She covered many issues, including the claim of an African bias on the part of the International Criminal Court. Her point about the case of child soldiers was extremely significant. We also know from statistics that 48 women are raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo every hour and that 12% of women there have been raped at least once. Will she comment further on this?

There are some countries that have not signed up to the International Criminal Court which undermines the court’s work somewhat, as we are not all singing from the same hymn sheet. After Mrs. Bensouda’s radio interview some listeners asked about the other crimes committed by the likes of Tony Blair, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and the US President, Barack Obama. It was pointed out how their actions, what they had instigated in various countries and the suffering caused by these actions would not be highlighted, except in certain circles.