DUSHANBE, July 2, 2011, Asia-Plus — International media outlets reports UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay criticized China on June 30 for welcoming Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir rather than arresting him to stand trial.
Al-Bashir has been accused of crimes against humanity and genocide against Darfur tribal groups. Upon news of a scheduled visit with President Hu Jintao, China came under pressure from the international community to arrest al-Bashir but did not respond.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued the arrest warrant, has no police or authority to enforce it without cooperation from governments. Pillay said she was disappointed with China”s failure to arrest al-Bashir and that every nation has a duty and responsibility to bring justice to those indicted by the court. China has not commented on the visit.
China is not currently a party to the ICC”s Rome Statute and therefore has no obligation to the international community to arrest al-Bashir. China is, however, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, which formally referred the Darfur case to Luis Moreno-Ocampo, lead prosecutor for the ICC. In joining the council, China agreed to cooperate with ICC decisions.
The ICC charged al-Bashir with three counts of genocide in relation to the Darfur conflict, in addition to seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity that were filed against al-Bashir in March 2009. The international community and human rights groups have urged various countries to arrest al-Bashir while he has been present inside their borders. Earlier this month, Amnesty International called on Malaysia to withdraw its invitation to al-Bashir and arrest him if he travels to the country. Similarly, the ICC urged Djibouti to arrest al-Bashir in May. The ICC requested that Kenya arrest al-Bashir during an October visit last year, his second visit to the country in the same year. Previously, al-Bashir had visited Kenya for the signing of the country”s new constitution. Following his visit, the ICC reported Kenya to the UN Security Council and the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute for the violation in not arresting al-Bashir.
