Sudan says ICC demand of arrest is political blackmail
April 27, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — A Sudanese official reiterated the refusal of his government to hand over Darfur war crime suspects wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the demand of extradition as “blatant political blackmail that we will not respond to him.”
The warrants were issued for Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs, and militia commander Ali Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman, also know as Ali Kushayb. Sudan has so far rejected handing over the two suspects.
Al Sahafa daily newspaper today quoted a presidential official without giving his name as saying that his government believes that the Prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno Ocampo, emerged from the scope of his legal framework and playing a political role which is not in the jurisdiction of the ICC.
He further said that he believes that non-governmental organizations implement a political agenda of some countries with hostile attitudes toward Khartoum.
In a letter to the Security Council, part of a campaign called Justice for Darfur, 29 rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International urged it “to take immediate steps to ensure the prompt arrest and surrender to the ICC of these two suspects.”
Friday’s appeal is likely to have little effect in Sudan, which does not recognize the International Criminal Court and has repeatedly refused to turn over Harun or Kushayb.
The Sudanese official stressed that his government sticks with its position of non-cooperation with the ICC as it does not have jurisdiction over his country, which has not ratified the charter. He added that Sudan is committed to prosecute any person accused of committing crimes in Darfur before the national judiciary.
Sudan has not ratified the Rome Statue, but the UN Security Council triggered the provisions under the Statue that enables it to refer situations in non-State parties to the world court if it deems that it is a threat to international peace and security.
The EU threatened on April 5 to take certain measures if Sudanese officials continue to block attempts to extradite Haroun and Kushayb.
“In the event of continued non-compliance with the terms of UNSC Resolution 1593, the EU will support appropriate further measures against those who bear responsibility for Sudan’s failure to cooperate with the ICC” the EU said.
The prosecutor of the ICC Luis Moreno-Ocampo will brief the UNSC next June on the status of investigations and Sudan’s cooperation. He has already informed the council of Sudan’s non-compliance last December.
Ocampo threatened to present evidence against new suspects to ICC judges before the end of the year if Khartoum does not hand over two suspects by the time he reports to the U.N. Security Council on June 5.
More than 2 million Darfuris have fled their homes since a revolt in 2003 by mostly non-Arab rebels which government forces and allied militias have tried to crush in a conflict that international experts say has claimed as many as 300,000 lives.
(ST)