NY Times reports that judges at the ICC have now approved the arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan. We have previously blogged on the issue here and here. The decision has not yet been made public. It is the first time that he Court is seeking the arrest of an incumbent head of state.
The matter is, as noted by Julian Ku, controversial and the decision is likely to be met with heavy criticism while the Court may be accused of hindering attempts to achieve peace in the region. On the other hand, if Bashir is guilty of the alleged crimes, he fits the bill for the type of criminals that the Court was originally set up to deal with pretty well. It looks as if it amounts to a classic “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” dilemma.
UPDATE: The ICC has now denied that any arrest order has been issued.
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