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A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 8 June 2019
Undone by Brexit, May steps down as Conservative leader

By JILL LAWLESS The Oxford-educated
Associated Press daughter of a rural vicar,
LONDON (AP) — Brit- she was picked as party
ish Prime Minister Theresa leader in July 2016, weeks
May's time as Conserva- after Britain voted 52% to
tive Party leader ended Fri- 48% to leave the EU and
day, not with a bang but a her predecessor, David
whimper. Cameron, resigned.
May, who announced her After many months of ne-
departure two weeks ago gotiations, the 27 other
after her career was un- EU nations finally agreed
done by the Brexit mess, late last year to a detailed
formally stepped down in a withdrawal plan with May's
private exchange of letters government.
with the party, leaving al- But in one humiliation af-
most a dozen Conservative ter another for May, the
contenders fighting to re- plan has been rejected
place her and resume the three times by Parliament,
stalled quest to lead Britain doomed by both lawmak-
out of the European Union. ers who wanted more of a
The second female prime clean break and those who
minister in British history wanted a softer Brexit that
spent the day quietly in her kept close economic ties to
home constituency west In this Friday, June 9, 2017 file photo Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May listens as the declaration the bloc.
of London, rather than the at her constituency is made for in the general election in Maidenhead, England. With British politicians dead-
prime minister's residence Associated Press locked, departure day was
at 10 Downing St. postponed from March 29
May will remain as acting Further rounds will be held So far, 11 Conservative law- sion President Jean-Claude to Oct. 31, and many of
leader and prime minister the following week until the makers are running to re- Juncker said — not for the May's Conservative col-
for a few weeks while the field is narrowed to two. place May, vowing to suc- first time — last week. leagues decided she and
party picks a successor, The final two candidates will ceed where she failed and On Friday, Juncker lament- her plan had to go.
who will become the next meet in a runoff that will be renegotiate Britain's deal to ed: "Everyone understands The impasse has trans-
prime minister. decided in a mail-in vote pull out of the EU. English, but nobody under- formed the U.K.'s political
Conservative lawmak- by the country's approxi- There's just one problem: stands England." map. May's Conservatives
ers will hold a secret bal- mately 160,000 Conserva- The EU says that's not going May, 62, has seen her three and the main opposition
lot on Thursday, with any tive Party members. The to happen. years atop party and coun- Labour Party are both frac-
candidates who don't get winner will be announced "There will be no renego- try defined, and ultimately tured over how to leave
at least 5% dropping out. the week of July 22. tiation," European Commis- destroyed, by Brexit. the EU.q

ICC prosecutor asks to appeal rejection of Afghanistan probe

open an investigation, and challenges are part of its continued practice of the
would "benefit the court in statutory responsibility," the Court as a whole."
its work as a whole." prosecutor wrote. Bensouda's November
A panel of pre-trial judges Rights groups in April 2017 request to open an
in April rejected the pro- slammed the decision to investigation said there is
posed investigation, saying reject an investigation as information that members
it would not be in the inter- a blow to Afghan victims of the U.S. military and in-
ests of justice because an seeking justice. telligence agencies "com-
investigation and prosecu- Patrick Baudouin, president mitted acts of torture, cruel
tion were unlikely to be suc- of the International Fed- treatment, outrages upon
cessful as those targeted — eration for Human Rights, personal dignity, rape and
including the United States, called the rejection a sexual violence against
Afghan authorities and the "dark day for justice" and a conflict-related detainees
Taliban — are not expect- "shocking decision, which is in Afghanistan and other
ed to cooperate. based on a deeply flawed locations, principally in the
Bensouda said that such reasoning." 2003-2004 period."
In this file photo dated Tuesday Aug. 28, 2018, Prosecutor Fa-
tou Bensouda at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The an argument is contrary to Among issues Bensouda She also said that the Tal-
Hague, Netherlands. the reason the court was wants to appeal is whether iban and other insurgent
Associated Press established — to prosecute the pre-trial judges even groups have killed more
grave crimes when nation- have the power to reject than 17,000 civilians since
By MIKE CORDER ernment security services al authorities are unwilling her request based on their 2009, including some 7,000
THE HAGUE, Netherlands and American forces. or unable to do so. determination of the inter- targeted killings.
(AP) — The International In a 17-page document "While the Prosecution is ests of justice. She further alleged that Af-
Criminal Court's prosecu- seeking clearance to file very mindful of the chal- Bensouda wrote that her ghan security forces have
tor on Friday sought to ap- an appeal, Prosecutor Fa- lenges in pursuing investi- request for an appeal is not tortured prisoners at gov-
peal the court's rejection of tou Bensouda said an ap- gations or prosecutions in simply disagreeing with the ernment detention centers.
an investigation into crimes peal could clarify crucial circumstances when co- rejection, "but rather repre- If the court allows Bensou-
linked to the conflict in Af- issues raised by judges who operation is limited ... it re- sents a legal issue of consti- da to appeal, the process
ghanistan by rebels, gov- rejected her request to mains the case that these tutional importance for the will likely take months.q