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Six-month extension of the work of UN Human Rights Council in Darfur and continued refusal to hand over ICC suspects to The Hague

26 June 2007

Dear all,

Please find below excerpts from media articles about the six-month extension
of the work of the UN Human Rights Council in Darfur and Sudan's continued
refusal to hand over ICC suspects to The Hague.

Please take note of the Coalition's policy on situations before the ICC
(below), which explicitly states that the CICC will not take a position on
potential or pending situations before the court. The Coalition, however,
will continue to provide the most up-to-date information about the ICC.

Regards,

Mariana Rodriguez Pareja
CICC Spanish Information Services Officer and Latin America Analyst
[email protected]
*********************************************************************

I. UN EXTENDS WORK OF HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AND SAYS CIVILIANS STILL TARGET
OF ATTACKS

i. "UN rights body extends Darfur mission by six months," Agence France
Presse,
21 June 2007, http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article22479 or
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SHES-74CNR6?OpenDocument

"The United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday decided to extend the
work of its experts present in the strife-torn Sudanese western region of
Darfur for a further six months. The decision was adopted by consensus and
under its terms the experts will submit an update to the council in
September, and a final report to the following session.
In a report to the council last week, the seven experts highlighted 'the
seriousness of ongoing violations of human rights and international
humanitarian law in Darfur as well as the lack of accountability of
perpetrators of such crimes.'

They urged the council to adopt more than 30 detailed "recommendations" or
targets that Sudan should meet - including clear orders to stop attacks on
civilians, disarming militia and full cooperation with the International
Criminal Court - in the short term (three months) and the mid term.

They also included indicators - such as the numbers of attacks in Darfur or
the number of people handed over to the ICC - that would allow an assessment
of progress, and a list of practical assistance or equipment Khartoum would
need to carry out the recommendations.."

ii. "Civilians still being brutalized in war zones: UN," by Evelyn Leopold
(Reuters), 22 June 2007,
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN2219294820070622

"Despite campaigns to protect civilians in war zones, progress is gradual
and failure too obvious in many places in the world, the U.N. emergency
relief coordinator said on Friday.

John Holmes told the U.N. Security Council that in many areas, such as
Sudan's Darfur region, Somalia or Afghanistan, "We are still failing to make
a real and timely difference for the victims on the ground."

Holmes said there were improvements that would have an effect over time,
including indictments against killers by the International Criminal Court as
well as more robust peacekeeping missions to help protect civilians. But
the statistics were still horrific, Holmes said.."

II. SUDAN CONTINUES TO REFUSE TO COOPERATE WITH THE COURT

"Sudan will not hand over any citizen to ICC," by Nada S. Mussallam (Khaleej
Times), 22 June 2007,
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2007/Jun
e/theuae_June576.xml&section=theuae&col=

"A top Sudanese government official has reiterated that his country will not
hand over any citizen to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial in
connection with the Darfur violence.

'We'll not hand over any Sudanese citizen to the ICC because Sudan is not a
member of this court (ICC). The Security Council cannot refer Sudanese
nationals to be tried at the ICC,' said Dr Mustafa Othman Ismail, adviser to
Sudanese President Omer Al Bashir..Speaking to the media in the capital
yesterday, Dr Ismail, who is currently on an official visit to the UAE,
stressed that the Sudanese government would not succumb to international
pressure, especially on decisions that might affect the national security of
the country...."

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CICC's policy on the referral and prosecution of situations before the ICC:

The Coalition for the ICC is not an organ of the court. The CICC is an
independent NGO movement dedicated to the establishment of the International
criminal court as a fair, effective, and independent International
organization. The Coalition will continue to provide the most up-to-date
information about the ICC and to help coordinate global Action to
effectively implement the Rome statute of the ICC. The Coalition will also
endeavor to respond to basic queries and to raise Awareness about the ICC's
trigger mechanisms and procedures, as they Develop. The Coalition as a
whole, and its secretariat, do not endorse or promote specific
investigations or prosecutions or take a position on Situations before the
ICC. However, individual CICC members May endorse Referrals, provide legal
and other support on investigations, or develop Partnerships with local and
other organizations in the course of their Efforts.

Communications to the ICC can be sent to:

ICC
P.O. box 19519
2500 cm the Hague
The Netherlands