From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Sun, Oct 18, 2009 at 12:48 AM
Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
The Summit of the African Union, which is scheduled to take off in the Ugandan capital tomorrow {Monday} has already generated a lot of controversy, with the human right groups calling on the Ugandan government to arrest the Sudan President, Omar al Bashir and hand him over to the ICC, so that he can stand trial on charges of cruelty against humanity.
The Amnesty International has expressed dismay at President Yoweri Museveni’s invitation to Sudanese President, Omar al Bashir, to attend the special African Union {AU} conference on refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons in Africa, schedule to begin tomorrow {Monday}.
The summit, which is said to have attracted 19 heads of states, and governments, is scheduled to open tomorrow in Kampala.
Museveni, during a press conference at State House, Entebbe, last Wednesday, made categorically clear that Bashir would not be arrested and surrendered to the ICC upon his arrival in Uganda.
“President Omar al Bashir is a fugitive from International Criminal Court of Justice-charged with responsibility for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur” , Mr Christopher Keith Hall, the legal adviser with the London based Amnesty International is widely quoted to have stated this in a statement issued at the organization’s headquarters.
It is a page one leading story in the SUNDAY edition of the NEWVISION. But top Ugandan government officials argue that Bashir’s personal attendance at the Summit is most essential, taking into account that out of 155,440 refugees now living in camps in the country, over 70 percent of them came from the Sudan, while a small portion came from the Democratic Republic of Congo {DRC}.
“The Uganda government has an obligation to arrest President Omar al Bashir and hand him over to the ICC should he enter Ugandan territory”, says the statement.
An arrest warrant for President Bashir was issued by the International Criminal Court of Justice based at the Hague in Netherlands in March 4.
Uganda as a state is a party to the treaty that had established the ICC, and as such is obliged to cooperate with the court and ,”arrest and surrender anyone named in arrest warrant to the ICC”, the human right group said..
Íf it fails to do so, the ICC can refer that clear case of violations of Uganda’s obligation to the Assembly of States, which is the ICC oversight body.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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Subject: KAMPALA SUMMIT HAS SPARKED OFF CONTROVERSY, WITH HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS CALLING FOR THE ARREST OF SUDAN PRESIDENT OMAR AL BASHIR BY UGANDAN GOVERNMENT.