---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Jean-Francois Darcq" <[email protected]> Date: 5 Mar 2014 14:26 Subject: Fwd: Open Letter from BashirWatch to UN Security Council on five hears of impunity afforded to Omar al-Bashir To: "elisabethjanaina" <[email protected]> Cc:
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Eric Reeves" <[email protected]> Date: 4 Mar 2014 21:21 Subject: Open Letter from BashirWatch to UN Security Council on five hears of impunity afforded to Omar al-Bashir To: "Eric Reeves" <[email protected]> Cc: *International Justice Project <http://www.internationaljusticeproject.com/open-letter-five-years-of-impunity-in-darfur-must-end/>* *March 4, 2014* *Open Letter to the UN Security Council: Five Years of Impunity in Darfur Must End* *On Fifth Anniversary of ICC Arrest Warrant for Omar Al-Bashir, Civil Society Calls on UN Security Council and ICC Member States to End Impunity for Genocide in Darfur* The BashirWatch Coalition and over 30 international human rights organizations sent a letter this morning to the United Nations Security Council and States Parties of the Rome Statute, calling for these states to fulfill the legal and moral obligations to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Darfur. *[Letter and powerful web page may be accessed at: * http://bashirwatch.org/five-years-impunity-man-behind-darfur-genocide-remains-free/ . Today, March 4, 2014, marks the five-year anniversary of the first ICC arrest warrant for President Bashir. Now in its eleventh year, Darfur is the longest-running genocide in history, yet Bashir has evaded justice for half a decade while actively perpetrating atrocities in Darfur and throughout Sudan. Since 2003, more than 300,000 people have been reported killed, thousands of villages have been deliberately destroyed, and at least 3 million civilians have been forcibly displaced in Darfur alone. Millions more are targeted by President Bashir's regime in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, Abyei, and throughout the country. For five years, President Bashir has lived, traveled, and ruled with impunity for the most serious international crimes. In the letter, the 28 civil society organizations demand that States Parties to the Rome Statute fulfil their legal obligations to arrest Bashir if he enters onto their territory. "Other UN member states should ensure they are on the right side of history by arresting Bashir and transferring him to The Hague for trial," the letter states. The letter also encourages all UN members to consider withholding military or economic aid from countries that let Bashir enter into their territory without executing the arrest warrants. It also recommends that the UN seriously consider adopting policies to enforce ICC arrest warrants in all UN-administered areas. The failure to hold Bashir accountable "not only has devastating effects inside Sudan, but it also sends the wrong message to leaders like Syrian President Assad and others perpetrating extreme violence throughout the world." The letter has been faxed to the UN Permanent Mission offices of the 15 members of the UN Security Council and the 122 member states of the Rome Statute. The full text of the letter is available here<http://bashirwatch.org/five-years-impunity-man-behind-darfur-genocide-remains-free/> . Signatories include: 1. Arry Organization for Human Rights and Development 2. Baroness Caroline Cox, House of Lords 3. Baysah Global Consulting, LLC 4. Citizens Global Solution 5. Collectif Urgence Darfour 6. Darfur Interfaith Network 7. Darfur People Association of New York 8. Darfur and Beyond 9. Darfur Association of Canada 10. Darfur Diaspora Association 11. Darfur Solidarity 12. Darfur Union, UK and Ireland 13. Enough Project 14. Fur Cultural Revival 15. Give Back Project 16. Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust UK 17. Humanity United 18. International Criminal Court Student Network 19. International Justice Project 20. Italians for Darfur 21. Joining Our Voices 22. Never Again Coalition 23. New York Coalition for Sudan 24. Nuba Mountains Welfare Assocation 25. Physicians for Human Rights 26. Sudan Unlimited 27. Tunjar Community Organisation UK 28. United People's Front for the Liberation and Justice, Beja Congress Corrective UK 29. United to End Genocide 30. Voice of Darfur Women 31. Voice of Nyala 32. Waging Peace *For more information, contact:* Niemat Ahmadi, United to End Genocide: (804) 439-2022 | [email protected] Katie Flannery, International Justice Project: (973) 735-2696 | [email protected] -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14op7vaCS%3DCuVMKEVE2JMzk7sBouOiEs%3DgMhXkzQ84%2B-v5g%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
