Malawi refuses to arrest Bashir

14/10/2011 22:41

Mutharika’ s actions qualified as “inacceptable” Malawi opposed the request of international Human Rights organizations to arrest President Omar al-Bashir, who arrived in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe to participate in the annual summit of the Common Market for Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COMECSA), which started on Friday.  Amnesty International qualified President Mutharika’s public reluctance to back the International Criminal Court (ICC) as “unacceptable,” and called on all members of the international community to assist the ICC in executing its arrest warrants in the Sudan situation. “The authorities have legal obligations to provide real justice for victims of crimes against humanity and other crimes under international law in Darfur, and should not be welcoming international fugitives,” Amnesty International Research, Policy and Campaign Manager Marek Marczynski said on Thursday. A senior Malawian police officer confirmed however to AFP Mr. Bashir would not be arrested. The Malawian President was heard saying last March that African leaders should not be trialed in The Hague for crimes that took place in Africa.   President Omar al-Bashir is under an arrest warrant of the ICC for crimes against humanity and genocide in the Darfur Region, where 300,000 people are estimated to have died since 2003. Bashir has dismissed the charges as part of a Western conspiracy against him. 

Mutharika’ s actions qualified as “inacceptable”

Malawi opposed the request of international Human Rights organizations to arrest President Omar al-Bashir, who arrived in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe to participate in the annual summit of the Common Market for Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COMECSA), which started on Friday.  Amnesty International qualified President Mutharika’s public reluctance to back the International Criminal Court (ICC) as “unacceptable,” and called on all members of the international community to assist the ICC in executing its arrest warrants in the Sudan situation.

“The authorities have legal obligations to provide real justice for victims of crimes against humanity and other crimes under international law in Darfur, and should not be welcoming international fugitives,” Amnesty International Research, Policy and Campaign Manager Marek Marczynski said on Thursday.

A senior Malawian police officer confirmed however to AFP Mr. Bashir would not be arrested. The Malawian President was heard saying last March that African leaders should not be trialed in The Hague for crimes that took place in Africa.  

President Omar al-Bashir is under an arrest warrant of the ICC for crimes against humanity and genocide in the Darfur Region, where 300,000 people are estimated to have died since 2003. Bashir has dismissed the charges as part of a Western conspiracy against him.