Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's President,
May Face Genocide Charges
On July 14th, 2008, the International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, asked the ICC to authorize an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on three charges: war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The Court agreed, but only to issue the warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity stating that the Prosecutor had not provided enough evidence to prove genocidal intent.
However, this morning in an important victory, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court reversed this ruling and ordered the ICC Judges to re-examine the case using a more reasonable standard of proof similar to what is required in courts in the United States.
This significant step by the ICC brings us one step closer to using international institutions to ensure that the world's perpetrators of genocide are brought to justice.
This May Citizens for Global Solutions will be confronting the United Nations' role in preventing genocide at our 2010 Annual Meeting & Model United Nations. The Conference will provide a unique opportunity for participants to confront the atrocities of genocide on an international level; hear from expert speakers on the United Nations, genocide prevention and elected officials; and spend a day lobbying Congress members on the issues that matter most to you. Click here to find out more and register for the conference.