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Rights Group Critical of Zambian Invitation to Indicted Sudanese Leader

   Peter Clottey 06 December 2010

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir

   An  official  of  Human  Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed concern that
   Zambian President Rupiah Banda has invited indicted Sudanese President
   Omar   Hassan  al-Bashir  to  participate  in  a  regional  conference
   scheduled for 15^th December.

   Reed Brody, spokesman for the rights organization, told VOA a majority
   of  human  rights groups across Africa have expressed displeasure over
   the invitation.

   âWe  are  hoping that this report is not correct and, if it is, we are
   hoping  that  the  president of Zambia will eventually think better of
   it.â

   Sudan local media reported that President Banda officially invited Mr.
   Bashir  Monday to participate in a special summit of the international
   conference on the Great Lakes Region.

   But,  several rights groups have criticized the Zambian leader for the
   invitation,  since  the  southern  African  country is a member of the
   International  Criminal Court (ICC), which issued the warrants against
   the Sudanese leader.

   âZambia  is  a  state  party to the ICC (and), if (Mr.) Bashir went to
   Zambia,  it  will  have a legal obligation to cooperate with the court
   and  arrest  President  Bashir and turn him over (to the ICC). But, it
   also  has a moral obligation to the victims of Darfur who were seeking
   justice.  It  is  very important that the leaders stand up not for the
   oppressors,  but  for  the victims, for those who are seeking to bring
   wrongdoers to justice,â said Brody.

   The  ICC has two international arrest warrants against Mr. Bashir, who
   stands  accused  of  committing war crimes and crimes against humanity
   against the people in the western Darfur region of Sudan.

   Brody  said  Zambia  is  obliged under the Rome Statute to enforce the
   arrest warrants against the Sudanese leader.

   The  African  Union  (AU)  said  it  will  not  cooperate with the ICC
   indictment  of  President  Bashir  saying  the  arrest  warrants  will
   compromise peace efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis in Darfur.

   âThe  African  Union  has taken a position against the arrest warrants
   but,   of   course,  that  doesnât  override  these  countriesâ  legal
   obligations  as  state  parties  to  the  Rome Statutes. South Africa,
   Botswana  have  recently  confirmed that, despite the AUâs resolution,
   they  remain  committed and engaged by their responsibilities as state
   parties to the Rome Statute,â said Brody.

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