Print

Mail

wiki links

ICC issues warrants for two over Darfur violence

The International Criminal Court issued its first arrest warrants yesterday in the murderous Darfur conflict, seeking to try a government minister and a Janjaweed militia leader on charges of mass slayings, rape and torture. Sudan, though, refused to arrest them.

After studying prosecution evidence for two months, a three-judge panel decided to seek the arrest rather than to summon the suspects to surrender voluntarily, saying the evidence supported 51 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The warrants against Sudan's Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmad Harun and Janjaweed "colonel of colonels" Ali Kushayb were a crucial step toward bringing atrocities in the Sudanese province to international justice.

But it remains to be seen how effective it will.

"Our position is very, very clear -- the ICC cannot assume any jurisdiction to judge any Sudanese outside the country," Justice Minister Mohamed Ali al-Mardi said in Khartoum.

"Whatever the ICC does, is totally unrealistic, illegal and repugnant to any form of international law," he said.

Sudan was not party to the Rome convention that set up the court, he said, implying that it was not obliged to implement warrants.

Asked whether Sudan would continue its past sporadic cooperation with the court, al-Mardi said, "What cooperation? It's over."

ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said the Khartoum government was legally bound to arrest the men.

This story has been viewed 1341 times.