In a momentous step for international justice, the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 4 issued an arrest warrant for Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Human Rights Watch has documented the horrific crimes committed by government forces and Janjaweed militia in Darfur since 2004 and has long called for President al-Bashir and other responsible parties to be held to account.
Four years ago we played a very active role in pressing the UN Security Council to ask the ICC prosecutor to investigate and prosecute alleged crimes in Darfur. In the months since the ICC prosecutor announced that he was seeking a warrant for President al-Bashir, Human Rights Watch has urged members of the UN Security Council to resist calls to suspend the prosecution. We have held numerous meetings with UN missions and worked to prevent Sudan’s allies from sabotaging the ICC’s pursuit of al-Bashir.
Some have argued that the ICC warrant for al-Bashir will upset peace negotiations, but our experience in places such as Serbia and Liberia has shown that the marginalization of bad actors that results from an international indictment generally encourages a more durable peace. Human Rights Watch will continue to monitor closely the security and protection of civilians in Darfur.
