HRW tells EU Darfur crimes must be handled by ICC
BRUSSELS, Feb 9 (AFP) — Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday it was vital that the European Union back a plan to have the International Criminal Court (ICC) try those allegedly involved in crimes committed in the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur.
HRW spokeswoman Geraldine Mattioli said she wanted the EU to use a meeting in Luxembourg to be attended by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday to “bring up the question of justice” in Darfur.
For the past two years Darfur has been devastated by a conflict between the Sudanese government and rebels in which tens of thousands of people have been killed and over 1.5 million displaced.
A UN report has accused Sudanese government forces and Arab militias of conducting indiscriminate attacks there. The report spoke of crimes against humanity but stopped short of accusing the Sudanese government of genocide.
A majority of UN Security Council members want the ICC to handle cases resulting from the conflict. However the United States, which is lukewarm about the court, wants a special UN and African Union court set up in the Tanzanian capital Arusha.
“The United States proposal does not stem from a genuine conviction that this court for Sudan would be preferable to ensure that justice for Darfur (victims) is done,” said Mattioli.
“Rather it is further proof of their ideological opposition to the ICC,” she said.
“We believe it is still possible to change the American administration’s mind on this issue, but firmness by all political partners, including the EU, will be the key to achieving this,” she said.
In a separate statement HRW said that the US proposal would delay the overall process and would be more expensive than using the ICC.
Last week the European Union called for an immediate end to what it called the “impunity” in Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur region.
However, it stepped back from pressing the case for the ICC. “No one wanted an extra problem” between Europeans and Americans on the subject of Darfur, one diplomat said.