ICC Issues Bashir Arrest Warrant - Time for the US to Cooperate

Today the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir (CGS just issues a press release and an action alert .) The warrant accuses the president of two counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity in Darfur, by ordering government troops as well as Janjaweed militia to engage in a systematic campaign of murder, rape and torture against members of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups. The Court has ordered government officials to hand over President Al-Bashir for trial on these charges, and asks all nations to help bring the president to justice.

This warrant is an example of actions that the Court was specifically created to take, in order to hold the world's most heinous criminals accountable for their actions. It proves that no one, including a head of state, is above the law.

The United States should immediately provide all assistance to the Court in apprehending President Al-Bashir, by taking him into custody if he enters our airspace, waters or territory; by freezing all economic and/or military aid to the Sudanese government until Sudan complies with this warrant; by using diplomacy to pressure President Al-Bashir and other nations to comply with the ICC demands; and contributing our enormous resources to this investigation to ensure that justice is served.

However, before the U.S. can credibly pressures other nations to hand Al-Bashir over to the Court, it needs to do 3 things:

• reinstate its signature on the ICC treaty;
• take a seat as an observer at the Court's governing body; and
• formally begin to cooperate with other investigations the Court is conducting in the DRC, Uganda, and eslewhere.

We need to take these steps not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it will be difficult for other nations to take us seriously when we urge them to abide by the Court's rulings. You can help spread the word by taking action.