- Title: ICC prosecutor urges speedy trial for Bashir over Sudan’s Darfur.
- Date: 19th December 2019
- Summary: KHARTOUM, SUDAN (FILE - SEPTEMBER 7, 2019) (REUTERS) JUDGE ENTERING COURT PEOPLE SITTING DOWN SUDAN'S FORMER PRESIDENT OMAR AL-BASHIR IN CAGE PROSECUTION PROVIDING ARGUMENTS BASHIR IN CAGE HEARING IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 2nd January 2020 13:56
- Keywords: Darfur International Criminal Court Omar Al Bashir Security Council crimes against humanity war crimes
- Location: NEW YORK, USA / KHARTOUM, SUDAN
- City: NEW YORK, USA / KHARTOUM, SUDAN
- Country: USA
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA002BAN79SN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has told the Security Council that Sudan must ensure that the five ICC suspects, including former President Omar al-Bashir "are brought to justice without undue delay."
Bensouda was speaking in New York on Wednesday (December 18).
"Sudan must ensure that the five ICC suspects in the Darfur situation are brought to justice without undue delay, either in a courtroom in Sudan or in The Hague. In this way, this Council's referral of the Darfur situation to my Office can finally yield tangible results in court for the victims this Council sought to protect, and progress can be made towards resolving this Council's referral of the Darfur situation to the ICC," she said.
Last week, a Sudanese court convicted Bashir on corruption charges and sentenced him to two years of detention in a reform facility, the first ruling against the ex-leader ousted by mass unrest.
The presiding judge said Bashir, 75, who was deposed by the military in April following months of street protests against his three-decade rule, was being sent to the reform facility, rather than a prison, on account of his age.
Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants against him in 2009 and 2010 on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's restive Darfur region.
"The Office is not aware of any concrete information suggesting that the suspects in the Darfur situation are currently subject to domestic investigation or prosecution for the same criminal conduct alleged in the relevant ICC arrest warrants. Unless and until Sudan can demonstrate to ICC judges that it is willing and able to genuinely investigate and prosecute the Darfur suspects for the crimes alleged in their respective arrest warrants, then these cases will remain admissible before the ICC," said Bensouda.
Protests triggered by a deepening economic crisis began to spread across Sudan on Dec. 19, 2018.
Nearly four months later, a group of military generals removed Bashir from power and jailed him in Khartoum's Kobar prison where he had incarcerated thousands of opponents of his repressive rule.
"The transitional government is fully committed to fighting impunity. We have started serious efforts to settle this issue in a manner that would satisfy the Sudanese people, especially the victims of Darfur. We will not allow any person to escape punishment and accountability," said Sudanese Ambassador, Omer Mohamed Ahmed Siddig,
Al Bashir, Abdel Raheem Hussein, Ahmad Harun, Ali Kushayb and Abdallah Banda, are all wanted by the ICC for crimes committed in Darfur. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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