ICC refers Jordan to UN Security Council for not arresting al-Bashir
December 11, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) Monday has said it will refer Jordan to the UN Security Council for its failure to arrest the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir.
Al-Bashir, who is wanted by the ICC on charges of genocide and war crimes, had attended an Arab League summit in Amman last March.
Jordan is a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC since 2002 and has an obligation to enforce the ICC arrest warrant for al-Bashir.
In a statement on Monday, the Hague-based court accused Jordan of failing to comply with its obligations under the Rome Statute.
“The Chamber (Pre-Trial Chamber II) decided to refer the matter of Jordan’s non-compliance to the Assembly of States Parties of the Rome Statute and the United Nations Security Council,” the statement read.
The ICC issued two arrest warrants against al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010 for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Darfur.
However, al-Bashir denied the allegations and accused the court of being political. He has continued to travel freely in Africa, Arab countries and Asia, defying the ICC arrest warrants.
Between 13 and 15 June 2015 he visited South Africa for the meeting of the African Union summit in Johannesburg. Pretoria, who is also a member of the ICC, refused to arrest him.
The ICC said South Africa failed in its duty to arrest al-Bashir when he was in the country but considered its referral to the Assembly of States Parties or the UN Security Council was not warranted.
(ST)