Non-Subscriber Extract
Just rewards - International judicial bodies and security
By James Gow
16 June 2009
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, centre, attends the opening session of the Arab Summit in Doha, Qatar, 29 March 2009. Sudan’s president, who is sought by an international court on charges of war crimes in Darfur, received a warm welcome in Qatar, and the 22-state Arab League has already said it would not enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest order. (PA)
Justice is, if not blind, then exceptionally myopic. Despite an arrest warrant on two counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity being issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March 2009, Sudanese President Hasan al-Bashir was within a month travelling overseas to attend the Arab League Summit in Doha, Qatar.
Theoretically, Bashir's arrest warrant could have been fulfilled while he was outside the protection of his own political system. The fact that this did not happen highlights a tension between the expectations of those demanding justice and what are often the realities and limits of law, diplomacy and politics.