Wednesday, June 4, 2008

ICC prosecutor out on a limb?

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has accused the "whole state apparatus" of Sudan of complicity in crimes against humanity in Darfur, despite the fact that the ICC has jurisdiction only over individuals.

"Ali Kushayb, a leader of the Janjaweed militia, and Ahmad Harun, Sudan's current Humanitarian Affairs Minister [sic], are both charged [by the ICC] with 51 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including acts of murder, persecution, torture, rape and forcible displacement," according to this June 4 BBC story.

Does Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the ICC, really think that accusing the entire Sudanese government of complicity in crimes will increase the chances of its turning over the two men? Or has he concluded that it's hopeless, so he might as well go ahead and denounce the whole government?

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