ICC must be allowed to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity

ICC must be allowed to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity

The Security Council must immediately refer the situation in Sudan to the International Criminal Court, following findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry. The US, China and Russia, in particular, should set aside their reservations about the Court in order to bring justice to the people of Sudan.

“The war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur are no less serious than genocide,” said Claudio Cordone, Senior Director, Regional Programmes at Amnesty International, responding to the findings. The five-member Commission was established by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to inquire into the human rights situation in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Amnesty International is calling on the UN Security Council not only to refer the situation in Sudan to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, but also to support a comprehensive, long-term strategy for bringing all those responsible for the crimes to justice. Amnesty International is also calling on China and Russia to stop arming the killers and to allow the existing arms embargo on Darfur to be extended to include the Government of Sudan.

In September, an Amnesty International delegation to Sudan headed by Secretary General Irene Khan heard first-hand accounts of atrocities from displaced people in camps and villages in western Darfur and in Nyala in southern Darfur. The organization has long documented the pattern of gross human rights abuses – including war crimes and crimes against humanity – committed in the context of Sudanâ??s internal conflicts.

Amnesty International called for the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry and welcomes the Commission’s report, but immediate action is now required on its findings.

Amnesty International’s latest report on the issue, Sudan: Who will answer for the crimes can be found at:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAFR540062005.