August 28th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Sudan’s newly appointed leaders to ensure that former President Omar al-Bashir is handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face justice for crimes and human rights abuses committed during his 30-year authoritarian leadership.
“The new leaders, who were sworn in on 21 August, should set clear standards for the progress in the field of justice and a range of other reforms that must be completed during the three-year transitional period,” said the Human Rights Watchdog in a statement seen by Nyamilepedia.
“The Sudanese authorities have to extradite Al-Bashir to the ICC,” said HRW. “this can only be canceled if they submit a successful legal challenge to the court that would remove its jurisdiction, based on the existence of reliable local procedures for the same alleged crimes.”
The international human rights group called on the international community to closely oversee the implementation of the agreement and make certain that the country is on the right track to protect human rights during the transitional period.
“International organizations, including the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and other countries, should monitor the implementation of the agreement and make progress in major human rights reforms,” the group pointed out.
Jehanne Henry, Associate Director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa division, stated that, as the country enters an era of peace, the newly appointed Sudanese leaders must begin the process of reforming the country’s justice system that the Sudanese people desperately need.
“As Sudan’s leaders are starting long-awaited necessary reforms, they must ensure justice to keep the promise of a transition to a state based on human rights and the rule of law. To ensure progress, they must set goals and standards, including accountability for grave violations, just as protesters demanded,” said Henry.
