Sudan's leader said Wednesday the government will “fully” cooperate with the International Criminal Court's efforts to prosecute those wanted for war crimes and genocide in connection with the Darfur conflict, according to an international rights group.
Transitional authorities announced Tuesday they agreed to hand over former autocrat president Omar al-Bashir to The Hague-based court along with other former officials wanted by the ICC.
“We agreed no one is above the law, and that people will be brought to justice, be it in Sudan or outside Sudan with the help of the ICC,” Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the country's transitional Sovereign Council, was quoted as saying by Human Rights Watch.
Burhan didn’t mention al-Bashir by name, according to the HRW statement. His comments came during a meeting with Kenneth Roth, HRW’s executive director, and Mausi Segun, the group’s Africa director Wednesday in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok also confirmed the government’s commitment to cooperate with the ICC, HRW said.
Mohammed Hassan al-Taishi, a member of the Sovereign Council and a government negotiator, said Tuesday the transitional authorities agreed with rebel groups in Darfur to hand over those wanted by the ICC to face justice before the tribunal.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement that Sudan’s announcement could mean that al-Bashir “will finally face justice for grave international crimes in Darfur.”
Al-Bashir, 76, faces three counts of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes for his alleged role in leading the deadly crackdown on a rebel insurgency in Darfur. The indictments were issued in 2009 and 2010, marking the first time the global court had charged a suspect with genocide.
“Victims and their families have waited more than 15 years for justice for widespread atrocities committed in Darfur,” said Roth. “Now they may finally see former president al-Bashir and the other ICC suspects in court.”
The ICC has indicted two other senior figures in al-Bashir's regime: Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein, interior and defense minister during much of the conflict, and Ahmed Haroun, a senior security chief at the time and later the leader of al-Bashir’s ruling party. Both have been under arrest in Khartoum since al-Bashir’s fall. Also indicted were Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb and a senior Darfur rebel leader, Abdullah Banda, whose whereabouts are not known.
HRW said that transferring the five Sudanese under ICC arrest warrants to the court would be a “major step toward accountability after years of obstruction.”
For a decade after his indictment, al-Bashir confounded the court based in The Hague, Netherlands. He not only was out of reach during his 30 years in power in Khartoum, but he also traveled abroad frequently to visit friendly leaders without fear of arrest.
The military overthrew al-Bashir in April 2019 amid massive public protests against his rule, and he has been jailed in Khartoum since then.
Human Rights Watch demanded the transitional government “urgently invite” ICC officials to Sudan to discuss terms of cooperation and how to move forward with the prosecutions.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The body of a Mississippi man who was found dead after vanishing under mysterious circumstances will not be released to family members until law enforcement agencies finish investigating the case, a state judge said Tuesday.
At a hearing in Jackson, Mississippi, Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas did not make an official ruling from the bench. He instead told attorneys the body of Dau Mabil would be preserved at the state crime lab while investigators try to shed light on what happened to the man. Mabil, who lived in Jackson with his wife, Karissa Bowley, went missing in broad daylight on March 25 after going for a walk.
Mabil escaped a bloody civil war in Sudan as a child and built a new life in America. His disappearance prompted an outcry from civil rights organizations and is alleged to have sparked discord between local law enforcement agencies. Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, whose district includes Jackson, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting a Justice Department investigation.
Tuesday's hearing had been set to settle a legal dispute between Bowley and Dau Mabil's brother, Bul Mabil, regarding the standards for a future independent autopsy. But Thomas also allowed attorneys to ask questions about Bowley's marriage to Dau Mabil.
Bowley took the witness stand and was peppered with questions by Bul Mabil's attorney, Lisa Ross. In a tense exchange, Ross asked Bowley to read text messages detailing arguments between the couple over several issues, including Dau Mabil’s alcohol consumption and Bowley’s penchant for “feminist podcasts.”
Bowley's attorney, Paloma Wu, said the hearing had become a “forum for freewheeling defamation” of Bowley, but Thomas overruled her objections.
Police have never said Bowley is a suspect in Dau Mabil's disappearance. The legal conflict between her and Bul Mabil began after fishermen spotted a body April 13 in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Jackson. Days later, officials confirmed the remains were those of Dau Mabil.
A sheriff said an initial state autopsy did not uncover signs of foul play, but Bul Mabil has disputed those findings. Bul Mabil filed an emergency request that an independent medical examiner examine Dau Mabil’s body before releasing the remains to Bowley and her family.
In a subsequent filing, Bowley’s attorney said her client did not oppose additional autopsy by a qualified examiner. But she asked the court to ensure the second autopsy takes place only after law enforcement finishes investigating to preserve the integrity of the evidence on her late husband’s body.
On Tuesday, Thomas said he agreed that police should finish their investigation before releasing Dau Mabil's body and that a second, independent autopsy would likely be permitted.
“I do not draw conclusions about anybody or what’s happened to this man other than that it’s unfortunate. I hope ... there was nothing nefarious done to him,” Thomas said. “But I want to find out. And I want the state to find out. I think they’re going to do that.”
Medical examiners do not typically store a body for the entirety of a police investigation, however long it takes. But, authorities would make an exception due to the “extraordinary nature of this case,” said Eric Brown, an attorney for the state medical examiner's office.
Thomas said he would issue a formal order later in the week to deal with the specific requests made by Bul Mabil and Bowley over setting the rules for a future autopsy conducted by an independent medical examiner.
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Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at @mikergoldberg.
Karissa Bowley, widow of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, is hugged by her father James E. Bowley, following a hearing on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, attorney for Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, left, gives Paloma Wu, attorney for Karissa Bowley, wife of the deceased, a set of her client's texts during a hearing on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, left, attorney for Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, questions Karissa Bowley, wife of the deceased, during a hearing, on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas, right, cautions Karissa Bowley, wife of the late Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, to not interrupt attorneys' questioning during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A tearful Karissa Bowley, widow of the late Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, is comforted by family members following a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, stares at his brother's widow, Karissa Bowley, during a recess at a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, right, attorney for Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, confer during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, waits for questioning to resume during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Karissa Bowley, wife of the late Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, waits for questioning to resume during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, right, attorney for Bul Mabil, seated center, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, listens to his question, while Karissa Bowley, wife of the deceased, awaits a renewed spate of questions during a hearing, on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
