COURT WANTS ANSWERS ON BASHIR
JUDGES at the International Criminal Court have asked SA authorities to explain why they failed to arrest Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in June when he attended a conference here.
This comes hot on the heels of a meeting President Jacob Zuma had with the judiciary, during which he committed that his government would comply with court rulings.
Bashir, accused of masterminding genocide in Darfur, was able to leave an African Union (AU) summit here and fly home, in defiance of a ruling by North Gauteng High Court ordering his detention under a warrant from the ICC.
SA, a member of the ICC, is obliged to enforce warrants from the Hague-based tribunal.
In a statement on its website, the ICC asked South African authorities to submit by October 5 the reasons for “their failure to arrest and surrender Omar al-Bashir”.
The tribunal said in cases where a member of the ICC fails to cooperate, the tribunal may refer the matter to either the Assembly of States Parties, the ICC’s governing body, or the UN Security Council, which established the court and has the power to impose sanctions.
Zuma has defended the decision to let Bashir leave the country, say- ing the wanted leader had immunity as a guest of the AU.
Spokesman for the department of international relations and cooperation Clayson Monyela said he was unaware of the request from the global tribunal. “I haven’t heard anything about it. And even if it’s there I won’t be commenting on it that matter is sub judice. It’s in the courts,” said Monyela.
SA has said it wouldl review its membership of the ICC and challenge a high court ruling that found the state erred in letting Bashir leave. –
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