ICC Warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir

According to the New York Times:

The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court formally requested an arrest warrant on Monday for Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the past five years of bloodshed in the Darfur region of his country.

The prosecutor’s pursuit of Mr. Bashir introduced new volatility to the already chaotic situation in Darfur. While some diplomats and analysts worried that the move would undermine efforts to negotiate peace and provide aid to the millions displaced by violence, others said it offered new leverage to pressure the Sudanese government to end the conflict in Darfur.

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Official brought to trail for involvement in Rwandan genocide

The BBC reports that Callixte Kalimanzira has been brought before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for involvement in the massacre of thousands of ethnic Tutsis:

Christine Graham, representing the prosecution at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), said Mr Kalimanzira had played a "key role" in the massacre of Tutsis.

Ms Graham said that in 1994 thousands of Tutsi refugees had approached Mr Kalimanzira - who was then caretaker interior minister - seeking his help.

Instead, she alleged, the accused had participated in their massacre.

Ms Graham said the killings were carried out over several days by soldiers and militia on a hill at Kibuye, in southern Rwanda.

The ICTR was set up by the UN in the Tanzanian town of Arusha, in 1997, to try the most high-profile genocide cases.

Those tried so far include government ministers, members of parliament, and military officers.

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Rulings on Rwandan Genocide

The New York Times story reports that the United Nations War Crimes Court upheld the ruling of the International Criminal Court in the case of Rev. Athanase Seromba. Seromba sentence was increased to life in prison for his participation in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide:

Rather than seeking to protect his flock, Father Seromba, an ethnic Hutu, had the church leveled by bulldozers and ordered gunmen to shoot any Tutsis who tried to flee the carnage, according to testimony introduced in court. There were no survivors.

“Seromba knew that approximately 1,500 refugees were in the church,” Judge Mohamed Shahabuddeen said, handing down his ruling on the appeal.

“He committed genocide as well as extermination as a crime against humanity by virtue of his role in the destruction of the church. The acts of Seromba are sufficient to constitute direct participation in the crimes.”

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