The African Union’s decision not to co-operate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it ordered the arrest of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s president, has been heavily criticized by human rights groups.
Al-Bashir, right, is effectively free to travel across Africa without fear of arrest after the decision
Amnesty International said on Saturday that the move showed "disdain" for the victims of violence in Sudan’s western Darfur region, where al-Bashir is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"This decision by the African Union member states shows a disdain for those in Darfur who suffered gross human rights violation and makes a mockery of the AU as an international body," Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty’s Africa director, said.
"By supporting a wanted person accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, it undermines the credibility of states who are party to the Rome statute and the AU as a whole."
At a summit on Friday, the pan-African body adopted a motion effectively ruling out the arrest of al-Bashir on the territory of any of its members and urged the United Nations to intervene to delay the case.
Forrás: AHU – Raymond Irambo