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ICC prosecutors call for al-Beshir arrest warrant

As my esteemed colleague warned earlier, the potential for a trial for Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir is in jeopardy.  On Wednesday, lawyers at the International Criminal Court at The Hague urged a panel of judges to issue an arrest warrant for genocide.

Prosecutors met in a closed-door meeting to deliver evidence supporting their claims that a warrant is needed to bring the Sudanese president to trial.

ICC Chief Luis Moreno-Ocampo in July asked the court for a warrant claiming Beshir had “personally instructed” forces to ethnically cleanse western regions of Darfur.

If granted, it would be the first such warrant issued for a sitting head of state since the court came into being in 2002.

 

Author

Daniel Graeber

Daniel Graeber is a writer for United Press International covering Iraq, Afghanistan and the broader Levant. He has published works on international and constitutional law pertaining to US terrorism cases and on child soldiers. His first major work, entitled The United States and Israel: The Implications of Alignment, is featured in the text, Strategic Interests in the Middle East: Opposition or Support for US Foreign Policy. He holds a MA in Diplomacy and International Conflict Management from Norwich University, where his focus was international relations theory, international law, and the role of non-state actors.

Areas of Focus:International law; Middle East; Government and Politics; non-state actors

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