November 9th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan government is dragging its feet on the establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan (HCSS), a report released by Amnesty International on Friday said.
The revitalized peace agreement signed in 2018 calls for the establishment of a “Hybrid Court for South Sudan” to try war criminals who committed grave atrocities against civilians during the country’s six-year-old brutal conflict.
President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar agreed on Thursday to postpone the establishment of the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) for three months and ten days.
The Amnesty International in a report titled: “South Sudan: Justice for war crimes must not be delayed any longer,” and released Friday urged the government in Juba to signed the proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the AU and adopt the legislation enabling the establishment of the Hybrid Court in the world’s youngest nation.
“Following a decision to postpone the formation of the long-awaited revitalized transitional government of national unity for 100 days beyond the 12 November deadline, Amnesty International calls on the authorities in South Sudan to sign the proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union and adopt the necessary legislation that will enable the establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan,” the Amnesty said in the report.
“These are initial but critical measures necessary to achieve sustainable peace and meaningful accountability for international crimes committed in South Sudan. Justice must not be held at ransom by the politics of the day,” it added.
The report further accused the government of South Sudan of dragging “its feet for years on the establishment of the HCSS and was ready to pay money to a US-based lobby firm to delay and ultimately block the court from coming into existence.”
