Human
Rights monitor
Sudan
suspects should go to global court
U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that the most "logical
place" to prosecute suspects of atrocities in Sudan's
Darfur region was the International Criminal Court, a
tribunal opposed by the United States.
The
United States is waiting for a U.N. commission report
this month on human rights violations and whether genocide
occurred in Darfur to see what action may be required.
"And I am sure that at the end of the day, when these
people are identified, action will need to be taken. They
need to be held accountable so that we don't give the
impression that impunity is allowed to stand," Annan
said.
"And
the most logical place for them to be put on trial would
be at the ICC (International Criminal Court)," he
told reporters. Pro-government militia, at times armed
by Khartoum, are blamed for killings, rape and pillaging
in Darfur. Some 1.8 million villagers have been made homeless
in a fight over power and resources. Rebels opposing the
government have looted relief trucks and attacked police
stations.
The
15-member Security Council has few alternatives to referring
the issue to the Hague-based court, with Russia and China
opposing targeted sanctions, which the United States has
advocated.
A
proper trial in Sudan is unlikely and Europeans will oppose
an ad hoc court, such as for the former Yugoslavia and
Rwanda.
Source:
Reuters
Photo:
Amnesty International
