Sudanese President Omar al Bashir is expected in Istanbul, Turkey, this Sunday and Monday for a summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Back in March, the International Criminal Court indicted al Bashir on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which means al Bashir is a fugitive from international justice and that no countries should willingly host al Bashir without taking steps to arrest him and surrender him to the ICC in The Hague.
President Omar al Bashir is a fugitive from international justice, charged with responsibility for crimes against humanity and war crimes against men, women and children, including murder, rape, torture and forced displacement. It would be a disgrace for Turkey to offer him safe haven – Christopher Keith Hall, Senior Legal Advisor, Amnesty International.
According to the BBC, Turkish President Abdullah Gul has no intention of arresting al Bashir, even though the European Union has asked him to reconsider his invitation to al Bashir. Turkey may not have signed or ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, but it still has a duty under international law to arrest al Bashir and surrender him to the court in The Hague.
Since his indictment in March, al Bashir has visited seven countries: Eritrea, Egypt, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. Due to pressure from the international community and civil society groups however, he was forced to cancel 2 recent trips to Uganda and Nigeria.
Take action now to urge the US government to support the ICC’s investigations in Darfur!
Scott Edwards,
Why your drumthumping call to Turkey to arrest Bashir, dramatically portrayed by you as a "fugitive from international justice" ?
How did the USA, no signatory to the Treaty of Rome & a government that has thwarted the ICC's workings, know & declare the ICC chief prosecutor's intention to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir long ahead of the prosecutor's own public issuiing of the warrant itself ?
Doesn't this compromise the processes of justice & the integrity & independent standing of the prosecutor himself ?
And what about the fact that Darfur itself has been blown out of proportion, that the fatalities there numbered in the tens of thousands, as horrible as that is, & not the hundreds of thousands as the Western media would have it ?
Darfur today has an international police force working together with the Sudanese security forces. Violence has ended, & the refugees are assisted by one of the largest relief efforts in history.
Despite which Western NGOs continue to raise millions of dollars in the name of an allegedly continuing "genocide".
Are we so out of issues we've time to focus on this ?
The alternative way to face real issues is shown by Splitting the Sky, the Mohawk warrior arrested trying to make a citizen's arrest of THE major war criminal, George W. Bush.
Splitting the Sky — now there is a man, & a difference, the people can emulate.
Hi, Savage.
As to how the "USA" knew "the ICC chief prosecutor’s intention to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir long ahead of the prosecutor’s own public issuing (sic) of the warrant itself, " I can only guess that whomever you are referring to in the US government saw what the rest of the world has–mass atrocities, direct evidence of crimes against humanity, and testimony after countless testimony of the crimes in Darfur. Frankly, anyone who didn't know a warrant was coming wasn't paying attention for the past 2 years.
As far as the death toll, tens of thousands have been killed with direct violence. That is no small number. At the same time, hundreds of thousands have died as a result of being forcibly displaced from theiromes, denied access to humanitarian aid, and generally denied the essentials of life. I, personally, see little moral difference between murder by bullet, and murder by calculated starvation.
In an effort to be responsive to comments, I'll as address the incredible claim that "violence has ended" in Darfur. My response: no, no it hasn't.
Granted, the wholesale destruction of villages has decreased, though we are still finding evidence of such attacks (eyesondarfur) and the government is a bit more careful about bombing civilians in broad daylight, but the persistent insecurity in Darfur continues to complicate aid delivery, leading to yet more casualties.
Finally, and my favorite, “genocide” is a crime as defined under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. Amnesty International and other large human rights NGOs make no claims about genocide, as one of the constituent elements of that crime is “intent” to destroy in whole or part. Intent isn’t something easily documented, though, so if you have any inside information, pls let us know!
As for the sky splitter, I'm not sure who that is (I work on African countries), but if you are interested in accountability for crimes committed during the "War on Terror," then you've come to the right site. Take a look at the other postings here related to AIUSA's "Counter Terror with Justice" campaign.
I tend towards the notion of justice for all. Quaint, I know.
Scott Edwards,
Why your drumthumping call to Turkey to arrest Bashir, dramatically portrayed by you as a “fugitive from international justice” ?
How did the USA, no signatory to the Treaty of Rome & a government that has thwarted the ICC’s workings, know & declare the ICC chief prosecutor’s intention to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir long ahead of the prosecutor’s own public issuiing of the warrant itself ?
Doesn’t this compromise the processes of justice & the integrity & independent standing of the prosecutor himself ?
And what about the fact that Darfur itself has been blown out of proportion, that the fatalities there numbered in the tens of thousands, as horrible as that is, & not the hundreds of thousands as the Western media would have it ?
Darfur today has an international police force working together with the Sudanese security forces. Violence has ended, & the refugees are assisted by one of the largest relief efforts in history.
Despite which Western NGOs continue to raise millions of dollars in the name of an allegedly continuing “genocide”.
Are we so out of issues we’ve time to focus on this ?
The alternative way to face real issues is shown by Splitting the Sky, the Mohawk warrior arrested trying to make a citizen’s arrest of THE major war criminal, George W. Bush.
Splitting the Sky — now there is a man, & a difference, the people can emulate.
Hi, Savage.
As to how the "USA" knew "the ICC chief prosecutor’s intention to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir long ahead of the prosecutor’s own public issuing (sic) of the warrant itself, " I can only guess that whomever you are referring to in the US government saw what the rest of the world has–mass atrocities, direct evidence of crimes against humanity, and testimony after countless testimony of the crimes in Darfur. Frankly, anyone who didn't know a warrant was coming wasn't paying attention for the past 2 years.
As far as the death toll, tens of thousands have been killed with direct violence. That is no small number. At the same time, hundreds of thousands have died as a result of being forcibly displaced from theiromes, denied access to humanitarian aid, and generally denied the essentials of life. I, personally, see little moral difference between murder by bullet, and murder by calculated starvation.
In an effort to be responsive to comments, I'll as address the incredible claim that "violence has ended" in Darfur. My response: no, no it hasn't.
Granted, the wholesale destruction of villages has decreased, though we are still finding evidence of such attacks (eyesondarfur) and the government is a bit more careful about bombing civilians in broad daylight, but the persistent insecurity in Darfur continues to complicate aid delivery, leading to yet more casualties.
Finally, and my favorite, “genocide” is a crime as defined under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. Amnesty International and other large human rights NGOs make no claims about genocide, as one of the constituent elements of that crime is “intent” to destroy in whole or part. Intent isn’t something easily documented, though, so if you have any inside information, pls let us know!
As for the sky splitter, I'm not sure who that is (I work on African countries), but if you are interested in accountability for crimes committed during the "War on Terror," then you've come to the right site. Take a look at the other postings here related to AIUSA's "Counter Terror with Justice" campaign.
I tend towards the notion of justice for all. Quaint, I know.
Scott Edwards,
Thank you for your very considered response.
About the "violence has ended" part, i understand widespread violence as seen in the past has ended. But on this point, the government isn't the only crucial party. The rebels are surprisingly & suspiciously well armed ( by Western powers ? ), & known for thwarting peace efforts & for fighting between their own different groups. i don't see the govt as solely or even primarily responsible in a situation where it doesn't control much or perhaps most of what's happening on the ground.
About your claim that hundreds of thousands have perished due to displacement, i do think Darfur has seen consistent exaggerations of casualty figures by the Western media & "interests" until finally even the UK govt had to dismiss some figures as absurd. After the similar bloated exaggerations of Serb atrocities in NATO's planned dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia, when we were all hugely fooled by the disinformation campaign leading up to the war, i refuse to take the West's word for anything i cannot verify by sources that i can consider trustworthy myself. My mind is open, however, & i am continuing to observe the past & the present.
About your "only guess" that the US govt's categorical & concrete knowledge beforehand of the chief prosecutor's subsequent arrest warrant was due to observation of the Darfur situation is astounding. 1, there is no such thing as a "benefit of the doubt" asked for or granted in the field of human rights. 2, no human rights researcher worth his salt gives the USA benefit of the doubt, because it is the prime architect & roadmaker for all the rights violations on earth today. 3, no court of law claiming to any integrity would or should accept your incredibly credulous assertion thst the USA just happened to guess right & therefore made such a concrete prediction. A public statement by the govt isnt a guess. It' a vilation of the due process of justice.
Finally , since you don't know who the "sky splitter"( as you put it ) is, know that Splitting the Sky is a warrior of the sovereign Mohawk Nation ( a nation belonging to the independent Haudeenoshaunee Confederacy ). He was arrested by the police of the usurping state system of the USA you trust in when he attempted to make a citizen's arrest of the once & illegal US president George W Bush, the real fugitive from justice who goes around with impunity. We too are fugitives, Mr Scott, fugitives who skirt our real duty, which is to identify,apprehend & stop the international war criminals. Splitting the Sky didn't run from his duty. And since you're interested in Africans, you might like to know that Cynthia McKinney says she'll be attending the hearing of Splitting the Sky in court.
Dear Scott Edwards,
Justice is good, but why this interest in it by the totally disinterested — China, Russia &, above all, the US, the usual suspects behind the Sudan probe ??
The oil, perhaps ??
No court or case or cause is above its context.
Or is it "Sanctions" time again ??
And will the people, the poorest, be made to suffer as always ??
Don't talk of justice above all else downwind from the oil, brother.
When the Great White Thief talks justice, we clap our palms on our pockets.
Scott Edwards,
Thank you for your very considered response.
About the “violence has ended” part, i understand widespread violence as seen in the past has ended. But on this point, the government isn’t the only crucial party. The rebels are surprisingly & suspiciously well armed ( by Western powers ? ), & known for thwarting peace efforts & for fighting between their own different groups. i don’t see the govt as solely or even primarily responsible in a situation where it doesn’t control much or perhaps most of what’s happening on the ground.
About your claim that hundreds of thousands have perished due to displacement, i do think Darfur has seen consistent exaggerations of casualty figures by the Western media & “interests” until finally even the UK govt had to dismiss some figures as absurd. After the similar bloated exaggerations of Serb atrocities in NATO’s planned dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia, when we were all hugely fooled by the disinformation campaign leading up to the war, i refuse to take the West’s word for anything i cannot verify by sources that i can consider trustworthy myself. My mind is open, however, & i am continuing to observe the past & the present.
About your “only guess” that the US govt’s categorical & concrete knowledge beforehand of the chief prosecutor’s subsequent arrest warrant was due to observation of the Darfur situation is astounding. 1, there is no such thing as a “benefit of the doubt” asked for or granted in the field of human rights. 2, no human rights researcher worth his salt gives the USA benefit of the doubt, because it is the prime architect & roadmaker for all the rights violations on earth today. 3, no court of law claiming to any integrity would or should accept your incredibly credulous assertion thst the USA just happened to guess right & therefore made such a concrete prediction. A public statement by the govt isnt a guess. It’ a vilation of the due process of justice.
Finally , since you don’t know who the “sky splitter”( as you put it ) is, know that Splitting the Sky is a warrior of the sovereign Mohawk Nation ( a nation belonging to the independent Haudeenoshaunee Confederacy ). He was arrested by the police of the usurping state system of the USA you trust in when he attempted to make a citizen’s arrest of the once & illegal US president George W Bush, the real fugitive from justice who goes around with impunity. We too are fugitives, Mr Scott, fugitives who skirt our real duty, which is to identify,apprehend & stop the international war criminals. Splitting the Sky didn’t run from his duty. And since you’re interested in Africans, you might like to know that Cynthia McKinney says she’ll be attending the hearing of Splitting the Sky in court.
Dear Scott Edwards,
Justice is good, but why this interest in it by the totally disinterested — China, Russia &, above all, the US, the usual suspects behind the Sudan probe ??
The oil, perhaps ??
No court or case or cause is above its context.
Or is it “Sanctions” time again ??
And will the people, the poorest, be made to suffer as always ??
Don’t talk of justice above all else downwind from the oil, brother.
When the Great White Thief talks justice, we clap our palms on our pockets.