SJAC Update | June 18, 2015

mar al-Bashir welcoming South African President Jacob Zuma to Sudan 2011 Photo Credit: Government ZA

Failure to Arrest al-Bashir Undermines International Justice

Lastweek,indefianceofanInternationalCriminalCourt(ICC)arrestwarrantandan
orderbytheSouthAfricanHighCourtbarringhisexit,OmaralBashirboardeda
planebacktoSudanafterattendingthe25thAfricanUnion(AU)Summitin
Johannesburg.In2009,theICCissuedtwoarrestwarrantsagainstalBashirunder
chargesofwarcrimes,crimesagainsthumanity,andgenocide.SouthAfrica,as
aState PartytotheRomeStatute,isobligedtoexecuteICCarrestwarrants,buton
June5,SouthAfricaandtheAUsignedanagreementguaranteeing diplomatic
immunitytoparticipatingheadsofstate.TheSouthAfricanHighCourtinitiateda
casetoinvestigatewhethertheICCwarranttrumpedthediplomaticimmunity
agreementandorderedauthoritiestopreventalBashirfromleavinguntilafinal
decisionhadbeenmade.TheSouthAfricangovernment,however,violatedthatorder,
resultinginalarmingramificationsfortheICCanditspotentialefficacyinother
countrieslikeSyria.
WhileICCStatePartieshavedefiedarrestwarrantsinthepast,SouthAfrica,a
countrythatstruggledthroughitsowntransitionaljusticeprocessandhasbeenan
advocateforhumanrights,seemedanunlikelycandidatetoundermineinternational
justice.SouthAfricasformerpresidentandrenownedhumanrightsleader,Nelson
Mandelasaid in an interviewthatoneofthepillarsforSouthAfricasforeign
policywouldbeconsiderationsofjusticeandrespectforinternationallaw.But
undertheleadershipofPresidentJacobZuma,thegovernmentnotonlydisregarded
internationallaw,itviolateditsownconstitutionanddestabilizednationaltrustin
thejudiciary.