ICC Finds Teeth, Looks For Spine
Posted by Tim Stevens on 14 July 2008
In an extraordinary and unprecedented move the International Criminal Court today issued a statement confirming what has been in the pipeline for a while, i.e. that Sudanese President Hassan Ahmad al Bashir can be held responsible for genocide and other crimes in Darfur.
ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has presented evidence today showing that Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Ahmad AL BASHIR committed the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.
Three years after the Security Council requested him to investigate in Darfur, and based on the evidence collected, the Prosecutor has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that Omar Hassan Ahmad AL BASHIR bears criminal responsibility in relation to 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Prosecution evidence shows that Al Bashir masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups, on account of their ethnicity. Members of the three groups, historically influential in Darfur, were challenging the marginalization of the province; they engaged in a rebellion. AL BASHIR failed to defeat the armed movements, so he went after the people. “His motives were largely political. His alibi was a ‘counterinsurgency.’ His intent was genocide ”, the Prosecutor said.
Read the rest of the press release here. The ICC has applied for an arrest warrant [PDF here].
The International Crisis Group broadly welcomes the statement but warns of potential pitfalls in pursuing this action. ICG spin-off Enough also comments on the ICC decision and reminds us of al Bashir’s track record in human rights.
