Every six months, the Prosecutor of the ICC reports to the UN Security Council on the Darfur-situation. Every six months, the Prosecutor brings no news and repeats her calls for help. Every six months, the members of the Security Council agree and disagree on her report and criticism, albeit they agree to not act upon her calls. In June 2016, the Prosecutor delivered her 23rd report about the situation in Darfur. And very similar to the 22nd report (here) she cannot deliver real news; too few developments took place while “grave crimes continue to be committed in Darfur” (Statement of the ICC Prosecutor). Den Rest des Artikels lesen >

2015 marked the tenth anniversary of the Security Council`s resolution 1593 (2005), referring the situation in Darfur, Sudan, to the International Criminal Court (here). With the year that could have been a jubilee for the ICC coming to a close, the Prosecutor of the ICC recently delivered her semi-annual report to the UN Security Council. Den Rest des Artikels lesen >

Six months after her last devastating report on the Situation in Darfur, Sudan, (more herehere and here) the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court delivered her 21st report to the UN Security Council in June 2015, updating the Council’s member to new activities.

The report comes after a diplomatic brawl over an attempt to arrest Omar al-Bashir during an African Union summit in South Africa (more in analysis no. 15).

Den Rest des Artikels lesen >

Appeals Chamber confirms warrant of arrest for Abdallah Banda

In preparation of the trial against Abdallah Banda, the Trial Chamber issued a warrant of arrest in September 2014. The accused appealed against this decision and in March 2015, the Appeals Chamber ruled on the appeal (here). The Chamber’s decision under review in this blogpost confirms the Trial Chamber’s judgment (for a review of the Trial Chamber’s decision cf. here).

At the outset, it is important to note that the Appeals Chamber sees its task not in reviewing the substantial decision of the Trial Chamber: Whether or not an arrest warrant or a summons to appear is beyond the decision here reviewed, as explicitly stated by the Appeals Chamber. Instead, the Chamber reviews whether the Trial Chamber should have provided the appellant with a further opportunity to present submissions on the choice between arrest warrant and summons to appear (para. 27).

This makes the decision somewhat less interesting, a purely procedural matter that is rather easy to agree with.

In the end, the Chamber does not find the approach taken by Banda convincing. Banda bases his appeal on the principle of audi alteram partem, which the Appeals Chamber defines as “[h]ear the other side; hear both sides. No man should be condemned unheard” (http://thelawdictionary.org/audi-alteram-partem/) (fn. 55).

The Appeals Chamber reiterates that it will review the Trial Chamber’s exercise of its discretion only

“where it is shown that that determination was vitiated by an error of law, an error of fact, or a procedural error, and then, only if the error materially affected the determination. This means in effect that the Appeals Chamber will interfere with a discretionary decision only under limited conditions. The jurisprudence of other international tribunals as well as that of domestic courts endorses this position. They identify the conditions justifying appellate interference to be: (i) where the exercise of discretion is based on an erroneous interpretation of the law; (ii) where it is exercised on patently incorrect conclusion of fact; or (iii) where the decision is so unfair and unreasonable as to constitute an abuse of discretion.” (para. 30).

For this, the appellant bears the burden to substantiate the material effect of an alleged procedural error (para. 29).

The Chamber notes that Banda failed to substantiate his claim. In addition to the rather general recourse to audi alteram partem he “does not put forth any legal argument in support of the contention that the procedural step of inviting further submissions was required as a matter of law“ (para. 31). This seems to be the decisive aspect of the case: Not that Banda was not heard at all – presumably amounting to a violation of audi alteram partem – but the chance to further submissions (the Appeals Chamber puts ‘further’ in italics throughout the decision).

In the end, the Appeals Chamber let’s the Trial Chamber’s arrest warrant stand. There is not word on the question of whether an arrest warrant was required or a summons to appear would have been enough to prepare the trial against Banda.

In der Datenbank und online ist eine neue Analyse vorhanden, diesmal in englischer Sprache. Inhaltlich geht es um den Haftbefehl gegen Abdallah Banda von 2014. Die Analyse kommentiert die Entscheidung der Kammer.

You may find the newest analysis in the database as well as online. It analyses the warrant of arrest against Abdullah Banda from September 2014.

In preparation of the trial against Abdallah Banda, the ICC’s Trail Chamber IV recently issued a warrant for arrest. This decision is flawed, as pointed out by the dissenting judge. The Chamber misinterprets art. 58 ICC-Statute. Den Rest des Artikels lesen >

When the Security Council referred the Situation in Darfur, Sudan, to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2005, it was widely applauded for a resolution that seemed highly unlikely just a few years before. During the last years, however, the sloppy treatment of Darfur by the Security Council has made the Office of the Prosecutor more and more desperate. In several reports to the Council, the OTP has complained about the lack of engagement by the Security Council (here, here, here and here). Ultimately, this behavior lead the OTP to put a halt to investigations in Darfur in December 2014 (here and here). Den Rest des Artikels lesen >

Mitte Juni hat die Chefanklägerin des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs (IStGH) ihren nunmehr 19. Bericht über die Fortschritte in der Darfur-Situation dem Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen vorgelegt. Viel Berichtenswertes seit dem 18. Bericht im Dezember 2013 (dazu hier) gab es allerdings nicht. Den Rest des Artikels lesen >

Die halbjährlichen Berichte über den Fortgang der Darfur-Situation an den Sicherheitsrat unterscheiden sich kaum noch voneinander. Zuletzt hatte die Chefanklägerin im Sommer 2013 kleinere Fortschritte in einem Strafverfahren vermelden können, während alle anderen Verfahren still standen. An dieser Situation hat sich kaum etwas geändert, wie der nunmehr 18. Bericht der Anklägerin vom Dezember 2013 an den Sicherheitsrat zeigt. Den Rest des Artikels lesen >

In den letzten Tagen ist es wieder vermehrt zu Gewalt in Darfur gekommen. Bei dem ersten Angriff im Juli sind drei Blauhelme verletzt worden (hier). Nur wenige Tage später wurden zwei Mitarbeiter einer Nichtregierungsorganisation während eines Feuergefechts zwischen Regierungstruppen und Rebellen in Nyala getötet (hier). Am Samstag den 13. Juli geriet eine Patrouille der UNAMID in einen Hinterhalt. Dabei wurden sieben Blauhelmsoldaten getötet und 17 Personen verletzt. Den Rest des Artikels lesen >