India has been urged by the International Criminal Court (ICC)to arrest and hand over Sudan’s President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir when he visits the country this week for a summit in New Dehli India.
President Bashir is wanted for charges on genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes when he campaigned against the revolution in western Darfur, Sudan. ICC has been trying to apprehend Al Bashir since the arrest warrants were issued in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
India will be hosting an India-Africa Summit that will see at least 40 Africa leaders arrive to New Dehli to discuss ways of boosting trade and investent between the two regions.
India is not an ICC signatory but being a member of th United Nations, with the UN Security council decision to remove Bashir’s immunity under the International law and pushed for states to corperate.
In an email to Thomson Reuters Foundation, the office of ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda stated that States should know it is important not to forget victims who deserve justice for unimaginable atrocities that they have suffered and by India arresting and surrendering ICC suspects, India will contribute to the important goal of ending impunity for the world’s worst crimes.
There has not been an official response from the Indian officials however the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told local media “India is fully complaint with its internatonal legal obligations”
ICC has asked several nations to arrest the Sudanese president without success, one of them being an ICC signatory South Africa early this year.
India is the second largest exporter to Sudan after China
