Readers react: Omar al-Bashir
SANDTON - As the AU summit slowly ground to a halt in the Sandton CBD on 15 June controversy surrounded the gathering of African leaders.
All the trouble began when the South African government remained tight-lipped regarding its obligation to arrest Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir in line with an arrest warrant put out by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Al-Bashir is wanted for war crimes.
South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the ICC. It has now emerged that Al-Bashir was able to leave South Africa and return to Sudan using a legal loophole.
Since its establishment, the ICC has been in a constant state of controversy, and being jibed as a toothless organisation without the required clout to implement its mandates. The court exists to charge and prosecute four core crimes: crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and crimes of aggression – an act taken by an executive member of a government which undermines the founding charter of the United Nations.
The Sandton Chronicle took to the streets to hear your views on the matter:
How do you feel about Omar al-Bashir’s escape from South Africa? Share your views on our Facebook page
“If they were to arrest him, then why didn’t they arrest Tony Blair for Iraq?”
