Sudan: "Justice for Darfur" Campaign

AI Index: AFR 54/018/2008

"Justice for Darfur" is a campaign supported by human rights organisations worldwide, calling on the international community to ensure the prompt arrest and surrender to the International Criminal Court of the persons charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, Sudan. The campaign is launched on the first anniversary of the issuance of the arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

On April 27, 2007, the ICC issued its first arrest warrants for Darfur against former state Minister of the Interior Ahmad Harun and Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb for 51 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Sudanese authorities, who have a legal obligation to cooperate with the Court under Security Council resolution 1593, have repeatedly refused to arrest and hand over the suspects to the ICC and have not pursued accountability domestically. A year later, these men - suspected of persecuting, raping, attacking and killing civilians in four villages in West Darfur - enjoy not only freedom but also power.

Ahmad Harun has been promoted to state Minister for Humanitarian Affairs in Darfur, responsible for the welfare of the very victims of his alleged crimes. He also acts as the liaison with the United Nations - African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID) tasked to protect civilians against such crimes. In September 2007, he was appointed to a committee in charge of hearing complaints of victims of human rights abuses in Sudan. The other suspect, Ali Kushayb, was in custody in Sudan on other charges at the time the warrants were issued but was released in October 2007 for alleged lack of evidence.

The "Justice for Darfur" campaign calls on the international community to respond strongly and collectively to ensure the prompt arrest and surrender of these individuals to the ICC for prosecution.

We appeal to the international community to:

• Recall - publicly and privately - the Sudanese government's legal obligations under resolution 1593 to cooperate fully with the ICC

• Press Sudanese authorities to promptly arrest and surrender Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb to the ICC

In particular, "Justice for Darfur" focuses attention on the need for the Security Council, the European Union, the African Union, other regional bodies and individual states to ensure Sudan's cooperation with the Court.

The Security Council, which referred the Darfur situation to the ICC, holds a special responsibility to support the Court and to show that it will no longer tolerate the Sudanese government's non-compliance with resolution 1593. Reports by the ICC Prosecutor to the Security Council as well as Security Council visits to Sudan will be key opportunities to do so.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has repeatedly emphasised that peace and justice go hand in hand, should publicly call on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to end his government's obstruction of justice for crimes under international law.

The European Union (EU), a leading force in the establishment of the ICC, should support it through strong political action. In March the EU issued a Presidential Declaration stating that, "[i]n the event of continued non-compliance with the terms of UNSC Resolution 1593, the EU will support appropriate further measures against those who bear responsibility for Sudan's failure to cooperate with the ICC." The EU should continue to provide public support to the Court and to press Sudan to cooperate with the ICC and to comply with the arrest warrants.

The African Union, the Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference should also demonstrate their commitment to justice by taking steps to ensure that the Sudanese government complies with its obligations.

Justice must be done for Darfur.

The following organisations participate in this campaign:

Anne-Cécile Antoni, President, Action des chrétiens pour l'abolition de la torture - France

Nasser Amin, Director General, Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession

Dr James Smith, Chief Executive, Aegis Trust

Widney Brown, Senior Director, International Law, Policy and Campaigns, Amnesty International

Nabeel Ahmed Rajab, Vice President, Bahrain Centre for Human Rights

Abdulla Alderazi, General Secretary , Bahrain Human Rights Society

Moataz El Fegiery, Executive Director, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

Ljubomir Mikic, President, Center for Peace, Legal Advice and Psychosocial Assistance – Vukovar

Oby Nwankwo, Executive Director, The Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre

William Pace, Convenor, Coalition for the International Criminal Court

Jacky Mamou, President, Collectif Urgence Darfour

Dismas Nkunda, Co-Chair, Darfur Consortium

Khatir M Kayabil, Secretary General, Darfur Union UK

Souhayr Belhassen, President, Fédération Internationale des ligues des Droits de l'Homme

Betsy Apple, Crimes against Humanity Program Director, Human Rights First

Richard Dicker, International Justice Program Director, Human Rights Watch

Caroline Wojtylak, Director, International Criminal Court Student Network UK

Farouk Bagambe, chairperson, Kalangala District NGO Forum - Uganda

Karam Saber, Executive Manager, Land Center for Human Rights

Jiri Kopal, Chair, League of Human Rights, Czech Republic

Hassan Greeve, Chairman, Prepared society Kenya

Chris Baruti, Board Member, Recherches et Documentation Juridiques Africaines

Tara Tavender, Executive Director, Save Darfur Canada

Tilman Zülch, President, Society for Threatened Peoples International

Adetokunbo Mumuni, Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights & Accountability Project

Yoni Levitan, Executive Director, Students Taking Action Now: Darfur - Canada

Isobel Renzulli, Project Coordinator, Sudan organization against Torture

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, UN Watch

Louise Roland-Gosselin, Director, Waging Peace