Warrant for Bashir criticised
2008-10-13 10:10
Cairo - Arab justice ministers said on Sunday that an arrest warrant for the Sudanese president requested by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has "no sound legal basis".
The group's statement, issued after a daylong meeting in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, was a show of support for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is the first sitting head of state to face genocide charges.
Al-Bashir has dismissed ICC charges that he directed mass killings in Darfur as politically motivated and aimed at destabilising his government. Sudanese officials have lobbied African and Arab governments to support al-Bashir by calling for the ICC to freeze the prosecution process.
Head ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for al-Bashir, but no decision has been announced.
The group of Arab justice ministers said it "rejects attempts to politicise the principles of international justice" and stated that the ICC prosecutor's request "has no sound legal basis".
They also said they would support efforts under way to freeze the prosecution process, although the language was more watered-down than the Sudanese government had requested.
Sudanese Justice Minister Abdel Basset Sabdarat said he thought the statement was "moderate". Sudan doesn't recognise the authority of the court and has said it will not deal with the prosecutor or hand over any Sudanese.
In a separate case, the court has also charged Sudan's current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Ahmed Haroun and janjaweed militia member Ali Kushayeb with murder, rape and forced expulsion of civilians in Darfur.
Up to 300 000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million chased from their homes since the conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region began in 2003.
Sabdarat said on Sunday that Kushayeb is in government custody and will be tried in Sudan's domestic courts.
"He is under investigation. He will be held accountable," Sabdarat said.
The Arab justice ministers praised Sudan's efforts to pursue justice domestically, saying Sudan has created specialised courts to look into Darfur-related crimes and has appointed a special prosecutor to look into cases.
But no new Darfur-related criminal trials have yet been officially announced, and human rights groups have said Sudan's legal system is not equipped to handle genocide or war crimes trials.
- AP