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ICC issues Sudan president arrest warrant for war crimes, not genocide

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese head of state Omar al-Bashir, charging him with seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but declining to charge him with genocide. The controversial arrest warrant had been sought by ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who in July filed preliminary charges against al-Bashir alleging genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed in the Darfur region in violation of Articles 6, 7, and 8 of the Rome Statute. This is the first time the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against a sitting head of state. The ICC announced last week that they would decide whether to issue an arrest warrant on Wednesday. The announcement came after the New York Times reported last month that the warrant had been issued, leading a court official quickly to issue a denial. In an effort to promote Darfur peace talks, Egypt called on the ICC last week to postpone its decision on the arrest warrant. Sudan and the African Union have also called for the proceedings against al-Bashir to be delayed. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has previously urged al-Bashir to comply with any ICC decision, but al-Bashir has said that that he and his government will disregard the ICC's ruling. Al-Bashir is accused of systematically targeting and purging the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa, three Arabic-speaking ethnic groups, under the pretext of counterinsurgency since 2003.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 04, 2009 (boomark / email).