Over 2 million people have been displaced and 180 thousand have been killed in the past two years in Sudan.
The International Criminal Court will investigate crimes against humanity in the Sudan Dafur region.
The court is the first permanent court set up to try individuals for genocide, war crimes and other major human rights violations. Previously the UN had tribunals dealing with abuse in Rwanda former and the former Yugoslavia.
The International Criminal Court began it’s first investigations in 2004 at the request of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The UN Security Council made it’s first referral to the ICC March 31st by referring war crimes in Sudan to the court.
The US does not want to participate in the ICC and has lobbied other nations not to do so. In exchange for a decision that US citizens in the Sudan would not be prosecuted, the US abstained in the March 31st vote of the Security Council.
Published 3 years, 5 months ago
Search
Subscribe 
You are currently browsing the Bene Diction Blogs On weblog archives.
Related Entries
For blog design, Wordpress or MovableType coding or blog consulting, see cre8d design.
At first read it sounds like the US has abstained only because it’s aware that some of it’s citizens could well be involved and implicated. I would hope this is not the case, but I don’t see another reason.
If this had happened on a national level rather than an international one we’d call it, at best, an obstruction of justice; at worst, treason.
Yeah, it sounds strange to me too. I know that there are several US senators who are strong supporters of action against those who can be implicated in the Sudanese war crimes. Not knowing anything about it, it might have to do with US disapproval of the UN generally - almost all I hear out of conservative circles is disdain for the UN.
Good post. I heard about the ICC investigation last night. Thanks for this.