Al-Bashir visit to Egypt is a missed opportunity to enforce justice

Sudanese President Omar al Bashir

Amnesty International, 25 March 2009

“Egypt and other members of the League of Arab States should not shield President al-Bashir from international justice”, said Irene Khan, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. “His presence in Egypt today should have been an opportunity to enforce the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.”

“By declaring that President al-Bashir has immunity from the arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the Arab League has undermined international law which provides no such immunity for anyone, even a serving head of state, for such grave crimes.

“The Arab League was right to demand international justice for war crimes and other serious violations of international law committed during the recent conflict in Gaza. They should apply a similar standard to crimes committed in Sudan”.

Amnesty International is calling on all members of the international community to ensure full accountability for crimes under international law committed in Sudan, Gaza and wherever else they occur.

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Tags: Amnesty International, arrest warrant, crimes against humanity, Egypt, President Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan, the Arab League, war crimes