South Africa’s high court has barred Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, from leaving the country in adispute over alleged war crimes that could undermine the authority of the international criminal court (ICC).
Bashir, who travelled to Johannesburg for a summit of African leaders, is wanted by the UN-backed court for alleged atrocities, including genocide, committed during the Darfur conflict.
The Guardian view on the international criminal court: no turning back on Omar al-Bashir
Editorial: Surprise moves to detain Sudan’s leader in South Africa make this a test case for international law which the ICC cannot afford to lose
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The high court in Pretoria issued an interim order preventing Bashir from leaving South Africa until an urgent application to force authorities to arrest him is heard.
A further hearing has been scheduled for Monday after the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), which promotes human rights, filed an urgent application to overturn a government decision to grant immunity to all delegates attending the African Union (AU) summit.
The prospect of the Sudanese president being formally arrested appeared to recede on Sunday evening, however, when South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) said the ICC was “no longer useful for the purposes for which it was intended”.
The ANC also called for a review of ICC statutes to make them applicable to all UN members and ensure a “fair and independent court for universal and equitable justice”.
African states accuse the court, which is based in The Hague, of only targeting political leaders on their continent and failing to bring to justice those responsible for war crimes in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Bashir, who travelled to Johannesburg for a summit of African leaders, is wanted by the UN-backed court for alleged atrocities, including genocide, committed during the Darfur conflict.
The Guardian view on the international criminal court: no turning back on Omar al-Bashir
Editorial: Surprise moves to detain Sudan’s leader in South Africa make this a test case for international law which the ICC cannot afford to lose
Read more
The high court in Pretoria issued an interim order preventing Bashir from leaving South Africa until an urgent application to force authorities to arrest him is heard.
A further hearing has been scheduled for Monday after the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), which promotes human rights, filed an urgent application to overturn a government decision to grant immunity to all delegates attending the African Union (AU) summit.
The prospect of the Sudanese president being formally arrested appeared to recede on Sunday evening, however, when South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) said the ICC was “no longer useful for the purposes for which it was intended”.
The ANC also called for a review of ICC statutes to make them applicable to all UN members and ensure a “fair and independent court for universal and equitable justice”.
African states accuse the court, which is based in The Hague, of only targeting political leaders on their continent and failing to bring to justice those responsible for war crimes in the Middle East and elsewhere.
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