Action on Darfur
From Amnesty International
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the best hope for justice in Sudan
The conflict in Darfur, Sudan, has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable: systematic and widespread murder, rape, abduction and displacement. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed. Over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced. Despite international outrage over the human rights crisis in Darfur, not a single perpetrator of war crimes or crimes against humanity has been brought to justice.
In March of last year, however, the U.N. Security Council passed a historic resolution calling for the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. The ICC is the world’s first, permanent, international judicial body capable of prosecuting individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so.
Amnesty International believes that justice is an essential component to building a lasting peace in Darfur. The ICC will help to establish a public, irrefutable record of the truth; serve as a deterrent to the commission of future crimes; promote reparations for victims; serve as a catalyst for reform in Sudan's own courts; and assign individual -- not group -- responsibility, thus helping to break the cycle of violence.
The U.S. Government's policy toward the ICC has taken a number of twists and turns since the international community first began working to create the Court. The U.S. Administration under President Clinton was an active participant in drafting the ICC treaty, and it was President Clinton who signed the treaty in December 2000. However, in 2002, the Bush Administration withdrew the United States' signature and subsequently launched a campaign to undermine the Court-- portraying the ICC as a threat to U.S. service members, and pressuring other countries to sign agreements not to cooperate with the Court.
This hostile stance began to change in 2005, when the U.S. decided not to vote against the U.N. Security Council's resolution referring the crimes committed in Darfur to the ICC. Administration officials have since stated that the U.S. stands ready to assist the ICC with its work in Darfur, signaling what could be the beginning of a remarkable shift in U.S. policy toward the Court. Now is a critical time to let the Bush Administration and Congress know that U.S. citizens support the ICC and its work in Darfur.
Learn more about the ICC.
Get involved.
Take action on this item.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the best hope for justice in Sudan
The conflict in Darfur, Sudan, has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable: systematic and widespread murder, rape, abduction and displacement. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed. Over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced. Despite international outrage over the human rights crisis in Darfur, not a single perpetrator of war crimes or crimes against humanity has been brought to justice.
In March of last year, however, the U.N. Security Council passed a historic resolution calling for the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. The ICC is the world’s first, permanent, international judicial body capable of prosecuting individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so.
Amnesty International believes that justice is an essential component to building a lasting peace in Darfur. The ICC will help to establish a public, irrefutable record of the truth; serve as a deterrent to the commission of future crimes; promote reparations for victims; serve as a catalyst for reform in Sudan's own courts; and assign individual -- not group -- responsibility, thus helping to break the cycle of violence.
The U.S. Government's policy toward the ICC has taken a number of twists and turns since the international community first began working to create the Court. The U.S. Administration under President Clinton was an active participant in drafting the ICC treaty, and it was President Clinton who signed the treaty in December 2000. However, in 2002, the Bush Administration withdrew the United States' signature and subsequently launched a campaign to undermine the Court-- portraying the ICC as a threat to U.S. service members, and pressuring other countries to sign agreements not to cooperate with the Court.
This hostile stance began to change in 2005, when the U.S. decided not to vote against the U.N. Security Council's resolution referring the crimes committed in Darfur to the ICC. Administration officials have since stated that the U.S. stands ready to assist the ICC with its work in Darfur, signaling what could be the beginning of a remarkable shift in U.S. policy toward the Court. Now is a critical time to let the Bush Administration and Congress know that U.S. citizens support the ICC and its work in Darfur.
Learn more about the ICC.
Get involved.
Take action on this item.