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A bi-weekly audio series and podcast service, hosted by Committee on Conscience Project Director Bridget Conley-Zilkic, that brings you the voices of human rights defenders, experts, advocates, and government officials. Vital voices addressing one of humanity's most vital issues. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not necessarily represent those of the Museum.
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5/03/07
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 Acting on a request by the Chief Prosecutor, a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has issued arrest warrants for two Sudanese -- a high-ranking government official who handled the "Darfur Security Desk" in the Interior Ministry in 2003-2004 and a top Janjaweed leader. They are charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.
Theoretically, the Sudanese government is required to arrest and hand over the two by virtue of UN Security Council Resolution 1593. Uh, right. Not surprisingly, Khartoum wasted no time in shooting the bird at the ICC, or whatever the Sudanese equivalent of that gesture is. The Justice Minister told the Associated Press:Our position is very, very clear: The ICC cannot assume any jurisdiction to judge any Sudanese outside the country. . . . Whatever the ICC does is totally unrealistic, illegal and repugnant to any form of international law. So the Security Council could take some coercive action -- sanctions or the like -- to pressure Khartoum to cooperate. Sound unlikely? If so, it will be up to the 104 members of the ICC itself, which includes 38 European nations and 29 African ones, to make Khartoum feel some heat. If Khartoum succeeds in defying the ICC, on the other hand, it will affirm impunity and seriously undermine the ICC's legitimacy.
(Photo © abardwell.)
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