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Darfur, Part I: NGO Statements condemning appointment of Harun to human rights committee; OTP press release calling for arrests

12 Sept 2007

Dear all,

Please find below the first of two digests on recent developments related to
the International Criminal Court's investigation in Darfur, Sudan.

This digest includes excerpts from NGO statements condemning the Sudanese
government’s recent appointment of Ahmed Harun as co-chair of a committee
investigating human rights abuses along with related media articles; and a
press release from the ICC Office of the Prosecutor urging the arrest of
Harun on the occasion of a screening of “Darfur Now” at the Toronto Film
Festival.

Please also 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.

With regards,

Mariana Rodriguez Pareja
CICC Communications
[email protected]

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I. SUDAN NOMINATES HARUN AS CO-CHAIR OF COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING WAR CRIMES
IN DARFUR

a. NGO Press Releases

i. “Sudan: Suspected War Criminal Nominated to Human Rights Committee,”
Human Rights Watch Media Advisory, 6 September 2007,
http://www.rwanda.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=380&Itemid=1

“Media reports indicate that the government of Sudan has nominated suspected
war criminal Ahmed Haroun as co-chair of a committee responsible for
investigating human rights complaints in Darfur. Haroun is wanted for war
crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court,
which issued a warrant for is arrest on April 27, 2007. Human Rights Watch
identified Haroun, former state minister of the interior responsible for the
Darfur portfolio during the height of the conflict in 2003-2004 as one of
those primarily responsible for the atrocities in the region.

‘Coming during Ban Ki-moon's visit to Sudan, Haroun's nomination is a
stunning affront,’ said Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch's
International Justice Program. ‘It is an insult to the Darfur victims who
filed complaints with the vain hope that the government would take them
seriously.’ ”

ii. “Sudan: A new step towards impunity,” FIDH, 10 September 2007,
http://www.fidh.org/article.php3?id_article=4679

“Alleged perpetrator of crimes against humanity and war crimes appointed by
the Sudanese government to lead investigations on human rights abuses

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member
organisation the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT) condemn the
recent appointment by the Sudanese government of Ahmed Haroun as co-chair of
a committee in charge of investigating human rights abuses in Sudan, and in
particular in Darfur.

Mr. Haroun, former Minister of the Interior and since 2006 Minister for
Humanitarian Affairs, is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC)
since 27 April 2007, when it issued an arrest warrant against him for crimes
against humanity and war crimes committed in 2003 and 2004.

‘This nomination is an insult to the victims of Darfur seeking truth,
justice and reparation for the grave crimes they have suffered, and clearly
demonstrates Sudan’s government unwillingness to bring perpetrators to
justice, end impunity for crimes committed in Darfur and bring peace to the
war ravaged region’ said Mrs. Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH President.

This appointment occurs in the context of the visit of Mr. Ban Ki-moon, UN
Secretary General, to Sudan and of ICC Prosecutor Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo’s
recent calls on the Sudanese government for greater cooperation in the
arrest of the two wanted Sudanese suspects.

FIDH and SOAT:
- urge the Government of Sudan to immediately suspend the appointment of
Haroun and to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court in
handing over the war suspects;
- call on the United Nations Group of Experts on Sudan to take into account
these recent developments in its report to the forthcoming session of the
Human Rights Council in Geneva.”

b. Media Coverage

i. “Fresh Darfur peace talks agreed,” Africast, 6 September 2007,
http://news.africast.com/africastv/article.php?newsID=62834

“Sudan and Darfur rebels will hold fresh peace talks in Libya on 27 October,
the Sudanese government and the UN have announced in a joint statement. But
the leader of the largest rebel group has told the BBC he will not attend
while the conflict continues.

Khartoum and pro-government Arab militias are accused of war crimes against
the black African population. Meanwhile, human rights activists have
criticised the nomination of an alleged war criminal to a committee to
investigate human rights abuses in Darfur.

Ahmed Haroun was the minister responsible for Darfur in 2003 and 2004. In
April, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest,
accusing him of directing the Arab militias who attacked black African
civilians.

…The announcement of talks follows a meeting between UN chief Ban Ki-moon
and Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir in Sudan's capital, Khartoum.

‘The government of Sudan pledges to contribute positively to secure the
environment for the negotiations, fulfilling its commitment to a full
cessation of hostilities in Darfur and agreed upon ceasefire,’ the statement
said. It said that the UN ‘expresses the hope that parties will co-operate
fully’ with UN and African Union (AU) mediators to ensure the success of the
talks in Libya….’ ”

ii. “War crime suspect heads human rights inquiry,” by Rob Crilly (The
Times-UK), 6 September 2007,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article2402846.ece

“An indicted war criminal suspected of funding and arming Janjawid militias
who have killed tens of thousands of civilians in Darfur is now leading an
investigation into human rights abuses in the province. His appointment by
the Government of Sudan is seen by analysts as a deliberate snub to the West
and its attempts to bring to justice those responsible for the slaughter. It
was announced as Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, who was in Sudan,
and President Omar el-Bashir, announced that the Government would meet
Darfur rebels for peace talks next month.

…‘The timing is no coincidence,’ said Elizabeth Hodgkin, Sudan researcher
with Amnesty International. ‘It’s a snub to the UN, a snub to international
justice. It means that those in the leadership of Sudan don’t care for
justice and that impunity will continue for war crimes.’ Mr. Haroun was
named this year by the ICC as a war crimes suspect. He is accused of
recruiting; funding and arming Janjawid militia while Deputy Minister of the
Interior in 2003 and 2004.

Prosecutors say that they have witness accounts of Mr Haroun ferrying guns
and ammunition into Darfur in his own helicopter. …

Since then Mr Haroun has been appointed junior minister of humanitarian
affairs and jointly chairs a two-year-old commission monitoring security
between Sudan’s north and south. Last weekend the commission’s remit was
extended to cover allegations of human rights abuses committed anywhere in
Sudan, including Darfur. An analyst in Khartoum, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said: ‘It’s an attempt to say to the ICC that the Government
doesn’t need anyone else to prosecute war crimes we’ll do it our way.’ The
decision comes at a time of heightened diplomatic activity focused on
speeding the deployment of a 26,000-strong international peace-keeping
force….”

See also “Fresh Darfur peace talks agreed,” BBC News, 6 September 2007,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6981929.stm

iii. “Soudan; Khartoum charge un ministre inculpé par la CPI d'enquêter sur
les droits de l'homme au Darfour,” Le Monde, 9 September 2007
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3216,36-952794@51-947123,0.html

“The appointment of a Sudanese minister wanted by the International Criminal
Court (ICC) to head a commission to inquire into human rights violations in
Darfur (West Sudan) is seen as a provocation according to human rights
organizations. ‘It is a dirty trick,’said Luis Moreno Ocampo, ICC
prosecutor….”

Translation from French is unofficial and has been prepared by the CICC.

II. ICC PROSECUTOR URGES ARREST OF INDICTED CRIMINALS AT DARFUR FILM
SCREENING

ii. “ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo urges arrest of indicted criminals,
following release of new Darfur documentary,” ICC Press release, 6 September
2007,
http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/271.html

“On 9 September Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court, will address the issue of justice in Darfur at a public discussion
following the premiere of the film ‘Darfur Now’ at Toronto’s International
Film Festival.

The feature-length documentary by Ted Braun describes what is happening
today in Darfur through the experiences of six individuals, including the
Prosecutor, each working in their own way to end the crisis.

The documentary describes the case against Ahmad Harun, a former Interior
Minister, who organized a system to slaughter civilians in Darfur and used
Janjaweed militia to force more than two million persons out of their
villages and into camps.

‘Ahmad Harun is a wanted criminal, yet he is now Minister for Humanitarian
Affairs and in charge of the camps for displaced people’ said the
Prosecutor. ‘He removed people from their villages and now he controls them.
‘Darfur Now’ can raise awareness about this unacceptable situation” he said.

‘My job is to help the people of Darfur here and now – to help stop the
crimes. Harun is threatening the victims. If he is removed from office,
arrested and sent to The Hague, the system that produced the crimes will be
broken. To this end, the international community needs to act consistently.
Now is the time…’ ”

ii. “ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo Urges Arrest of Indicted Criminals,
Following release of New Darfur Documentary,” Rwanda Information Exchange,
06 September 2007
http://www.rwanda.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=378&Itemid=1

“On 9 September Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court, will address the issue of justice in Darfur at a public discussion
following the premiere of the film ‘Darfur Now’ at Toronto’s International
Film Festival.”

iii. “Don Cheadle, Danny Glover talk Darfur Now,” Paste Magazine, 10
September 2007
http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/4928/news/film/don_cheadle_danny
_glover_talk_darfur_now

“Darfur Now, a documentary by Ted Braun and featuring actor-turned-activist
Don Cheadle debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival this past
weekend. Cheadle and Braun were on hand, along with two of the film’s other
subjects—Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the prosecutor for the International Criminal
Court in the Hague, and Adam Sterling, a 24-year-old UCLA grad who founded a
grassroots organization to pressure international businesses to divest in
The Sudan through legislation.

What makes the film unique is its approach to the subject matter, profiling
six people doing what they can to make a difference. ‘[When I looked at what
was happening in Darfur], what I found shocked me,’ said Braun, ‘both the
nature and magnitude of the crimes and the world’s indifference. I wanted to
make a film that would reach a wide audience, and I thought the best way was
to look at the conflict from many points of view and one that gave people
hope—put them in the shoes of people who could make a difference.’…

iv. “International Criminal Court counsel frustrated in his bid to bring
Sudanese minister to The Hague,” The Star, 09 September, 2007,
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/254610

“Sudan has launched the second phase of a campaign against the people of
Darfur, spearheaded by a wanted war crimes suspect, says the International
Criminal Court's chief prosecutor.

‘Ahmad Haroun has to be removed, arrested and sent to The Hague,’ says Luis
Moreno-Ocampo. ‘"The system has to be dismantled. Otherwise, we are watching
a new Rwanda.’Haroun is accused of directing systematic attacks on the
people of Darfur while he was Sudan's minister of state for the interior in
2003 and '04, when some of the most serious atrocities were committed….”

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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
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