ICC judges reject appeal by pro-Sudan groups Friday 20 February 2009.
February 19, 2009 (THE HAGUE) — The judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) today rejected an appeal by pro-Sudan groups to an adverse decision to their application demanding that an arrest warrant not be issued for president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir. The judges’ decision stated that Sudan Workers Trade Unions Federation (SWTUF) and the Sudan International Defense Group (SIDG) “are not ‘a party’ to the proceedings relating to the investigation into the Darfur situation” as provided for in the Rome Statute which forms the basis of the ICC. “As a result, they have no procedural standing to appeal” the Pre-Trial Chamber I at the court ruled. SIDG is described as a “non-governmental committee of Sudanese citizens established out of concern for the negative effects that ICC arrest warrants could have at this time for the peace process in Sudan and for the ordinary people of this country”. Two UK lawyers prepared the filing on behalf of the SWTUF and SIDG, Sir Geoffrey Nice and Rodney Dixon. SIDG and SWTUF have submitted a motion to the chamber last month arguing that prosecuting Al-Bashir is not in the interest of justice and that other alternatives of transitional justice are being pursued. However the judges dismissed the motion in early February on the grounds that that the interests of justice is an assessment made by the office of the prosecutor once an investigation is initiated in accordance with the Rome Statute. The two groups subsequently submitted an appeal claiming that the chamber failed to consider all the arguments put forward by them in their application. They requested that the Pre-Trial Chamber I authorize them to challenge the ruling before the Appeal chamber at the ICC. The registry at the court notified the judges this week that in line with the chamber’s decision they have returned five boxes containing documents attached as annexes to the application by SIDG and SWTUF. They documents contain articles, testimonies and signatures filed in support of their application. However in their initial decision the judges said they will not consider it. The ICC judges are expected to release a decision before the end of the month in which they agree to issue an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir on an unspecified number of counts. Last July the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo requested that the judges issue an arrest warrant for Bashir on three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder. Ocampo accused Al-Bashir of masterminding a campaign to get rid of the African tribes in Darfur; Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa. Sudan has refused to accept jurisdiction of the ICC but said that it may deal with the court through a third party. Last November multiple sources told Sudan Tribune that the Sudanese government hired Eversheds LLP to handle the ICC row. (ST) Copyright © 2003-2008 SudanTribune - All rights reserved. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
