Human Rights watch urges UNSC to press for Sudan president arrest
June 4, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – The UN Security Council (UNSC) must ensure that Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir faces justice, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.
On Friday, the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo will brief the UN Security Council (UNSC) on activities related to the Darfur investigations.
The UNSC referred the Darfur situation to the ICC in March 2005 under a Chapter VII resolution. However, the council appeared reluctant to force Sudan to cooperate with The Hague based court.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Bashir and two other Sudanese officials but Khartoum refused to extradite them.
“President al-Bashir is accused of orchestrating heinous crimes – including widespread murder and rape – in Darfur,” said Richard Dicker, International Justice Program director at HRW.
“After asking the ICC to investigate the crimes in Darfur, Security Council members owe it to the victims to press for surrender of those wanted by the court, including President Omar Al-Bashir” he added.
Dicker dismissed arguments by African politicians that the ICC is targeting Africans in wake of Bashir’s indictment.
The African ICC members are scheduled to meet next week to discuss withdrawing from the court as a form of protest to the Bashir’s arrest warrant.
The African Union (AU) criticized the warrant saying it jeopardizes peace efforts and suggested that the court is unfairly targeting Africans.
The Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson Ali Al-Sadiq said that the ICC president’s tour comes as African countries support of his country became clear and accused him of trying to split the continent’s solidarity.
It is not clear if African nations will actually agree to withdraw from the court. Some treaties between these countries and the European Union (EU) stipulates being members of the ICC to receive financial aid.
“Three out of four of these situations were voluntarily referred by the states where the crimes were committed: Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic. The fourth, Darfur, came before the court as a result of the UN Security Council referral,” HRW said.
“Despite hostility to the ICC by some African leaders who seem to fear accountability, there is strong backing for the court in Africa,” Dicker said.
“The voices trying to discredit the ICC will not drown out the support for the court from human rights defenders and victims across Africa,” he added.
The ICC prosecutor is expected to reiterate the non-cooperation by Khartoum and ask the UNSC and other countries to sever contacts with Bashir and press for his apprehension.
(ST)
Othogomoi
Human Rights watch urges UNSC to press for Sudan president arrest
Time for everythings,now time for justice is near.
Deng Simon Garang Tor
Human Rights watch urges UNSC to press for Sudan president arrest
Go, Go, Go, Human Rights Watch! The speed at which you are moving is very slow! Crime is punishable in whatever society; be it social, economic or political. The sudanese community is not out of the boundaries of international meaningful justice. For how long wil our people continue to suffer because of ruthless leaders of Bashir’s kind? Snatch him as he tours African and Arab countries. None of the charges in his crime-basket is insignificant and as such, he should be held accountable for his own deeds. What he wanted was a scortched land in Darfur, free of people, and indeed, Darfur is a deserted land now. No man is supernatural to kill asmuch as he likes-let Bashir be paid in his own coin.Though people demonstrate in protest, it does not reflect the real meaning of what is being done. Arrest him and watch demonstrations in Khartoum-and things will remain as they are-unchanged.
Olatipol
Human Rights watch urges UNSC to press for Sudan president arrest
This message from the Human Rights Watch sounds pleasant to the ears of Sudanese who love justice.
However, I really do not know how it sounds to Bashir’s ears. Perhaps it may sound like a knife been sharpened by a boutcher.
Neither in the holy book nor the quran is it written that you must kill at will.
Besides, when you order for a drink, food………etc in a restaurant or a hotel, at the end of the servie, you have to pay your bill for the service rendered.
Now is the time for the heartless cold blood murderer to “pay his bills for his un-called for acts”
OLATIPOL
Uganda