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Amnesty
International
London, July 4, 2009 (SL Times) – In response to reports on the decision
by the African Union (AU) not to cooperate with a war crimes warrant of
arrest, issued by the International Criminal Court against Sudan
President Omar al-Bashir, Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International
Africa Director said:
“This decision by the African Union member states shows a disdain for
those in Darfur who suffered gross human rights violation and makes a
mockery of the AU as an international body. By supporting a wanted
person accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, it undermines
the credibility of states who are party to the Rome Statute and the AU
as a whole".
Background
The resolution, adopted at the end of the 13 th African Union Summit of
Heads of States and Government Assembly held in Libya, would violate the
obligations of African states parties to the Rome Statute to cooperate
with the Court (article 86). This includes the obligation to cooperate
for the execution of arrest warrants. Africa played a leading – indeed,
decisive - role in 1998 in the establishment of the ICC. Thirty African
states have ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal
Court (Rome Statute) so far.
African states strongly supported the creation of the ICC as a court of
last resort to ensure that African victims of genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes receive justice and reparations whenever states
were unable and unwilling to investigate and prosecute such crimes.
Three African states, the Central African Republic, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and Uganda referred situations in their own
countries to the ICC on the ground that they were not able to
investigate and prosecute such crimes. A fourth country, Côte d’Ivoire,
has recognized the ICC’s jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute
crimes in its territory or by its citizens abroad.
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