The United States has taken the lead in challenging the genocidal killings in Darfur. After TrueMajority members helped create media coverage and called on Washington to do the right thing, Congress rightly labeled the home destruction, rape and murder in this western region of Sudan "genocide" and passed a law punishing companies that do business there. Then, members like you called on President Bush to speak out strongly against the Sudanese government, which is sponsoring many of the attacks, and he did.
It’s time now to bring those responsible for the genocide to account -- both to provide justice for the victims and to deter future atrocities. Some of those responsible for the killings have been identified. Human rights authorities around the world are working to bring them to justice at the international court in The Hague, Netherlands. Unbelievably, the loudest opponent to that is our own U.S. State Department.
The International Criminal Court was set up precisely for this purpose: prosecuting perpetrators of war crimes who would otherwise go unpunished. The Bush Administration fears that such a court might one day come after them, though, so they want to prevent the court from being used to try anyone, even perpetrators of genocide. [1] [2] [3]
If you’d like to tell Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to stop blocking prosecution of the Sudanese war criminals in the I.C.C., a message to Secretary Rice (text below).
If this was forwarded to you and you aren’t yet a member of TrueMajorityACTION, click the link below to send your message:
http://www.truemajorityaction.org/icc
Matt Holland
Online Organizer
Here’s more:
Pulitzer prize-winning genocide expert Samantha Power asked survivors of the Darfur killings where they would go if they could escape. She writes, "The surprisingly common answer, whether from refugees wandering the Sahara or from farmers who had never had electricity or running water, was this: ‘The Hague.’ They had heard there was an international court there, and they wanted to go testify." [1]
The administration says it would rather set up a whole new war crimes tribunal in Tanzania specifically for the Sudan atrocities. [3] Experts point out that it would take more time and more money to re-create something that already exists and is working. [2] According to United Nations reports, attacks continue in Darfur. Beginning NOW to pursue war crimes prosecutions will send a strong message to the officials of Sudan that they won’t get away with their atrocities, and a quick start to prosecutions would help end the nightmare. [2]
The worries that U.S. officials or soldiers would be prosecuted by the court are unfounded. The court’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is on record that the torture reported in Iraq and Guantánamo Bay doesn’t fall within his jurisdiction. [1] Even the other members of the Security Council have indicated that they would agree to Americans being exempt from prosecution. [3]
There’s no good reason to oppose bringing the perpetrators of the Sudanese genocide to justice.
Here’s the text of the message we’ll deliver to Secretary of State Rice on your behalf:
Secretary of State Rice,
I would like to be proud of the good work the U.S. State Department has done to oppose and end the terrible killings in Darfur, Sudan. I would like to, but I can’t, because of my country’s embarrassing and inexplicable opposition to prosecuting the killers at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The I.C.C. was created precisely to handle such war crimes, and there’s no reason to fear that our own government officials would be prosecuted there. As you know, other members of the Security Council have offered immunity to prosecution by the I.C.C. for U.S. personnel, and the lead prosecutor has said that U.S. actions like those at Abu Ghraib in Iraq are outside his jurisdiction.
The authors of the genocide in Darfur must be called to account NOW, before it’s too late. There isn’t time to set up a new, separate war crimes court, and there’s no reason to. Bring the killers of Darfur to the International Criminal Court.
It’s time now to bring those responsible for the genocide to account -- both to provide justice for the victims and to deter future atrocities. Some of those responsible for the killings have been identified. Human rights authorities around the world are working to bring them to justice at the international court in The Hague, Netherlands. Unbelievably, the loudest opponent to that is our own U.S. State Department.
The International Criminal Court was set up precisely for this purpose: prosecuting perpetrators of war crimes who would otherwise go unpunished. The Bush Administration fears that such a court might one day come after them, though, so they want to prevent the court from being used to try anyone, even perpetrators of genocide. [1] [2] [3]
If you’d like to tell Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to stop blocking prosecution of the Sudanese war criminals in the I.C.C., a message to Secretary Rice (text below).
If this was forwarded to you and you aren’t yet a member of TrueMajorityACTION, click the link below to send your message:
http://www.truemajorityaction.org/icc
Matt Holland
Online Organizer
Here’s more:
Pulitzer prize-winning genocide expert Samantha Power asked survivors of the Darfur killings where they would go if they could escape. She writes, "The surprisingly common answer, whether from refugees wandering the Sahara or from farmers who had never had electricity or running water, was this: ‘The Hague.’ They had heard there was an international court there, and they wanted to go testify." [1]
The administration says it would rather set up a whole new war crimes tribunal in Tanzania specifically for the Sudan atrocities. [3] Experts point out that it would take more time and more money to re-create something that already exists and is working. [2] According to United Nations reports, attacks continue in Darfur. Beginning NOW to pursue war crimes prosecutions will send a strong message to the officials of Sudan that they won’t get away with their atrocities, and a quick start to prosecutions would help end the nightmare. [2]
The worries that U.S. officials or soldiers would be prosecuted by the court are unfounded. The court’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is on record that the torture reported in Iraq and Guantánamo Bay doesn’t fall within his jurisdiction. [1] Even the other members of the Security Council have indicated that they would agree to Americans being exempt from prosecution. [3]
There’s no good reason to oppose bringing the perpetrators of the Sudanese genocide to justice.
Here’s the text of the message we’ll deliver to Secretary of State Rice on your behalf:
Secretary of State Rice,
I would like to be proud of the good work the U.S. State Department has done to oppose and end the terrible killings in Darfur, Sudan. I would like to, but I can’t, because of my country’s embarrassing and inexplicable opposition to prosecuting the killers at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The I.C.C. was created precisely to handle such war crimes, and there’s no reason to fear that our own government officials would be prosecuted there. As you know, other members of the Security Council have offered immunity to prosecution by the I.C.C. for U.S. personnel, and the lead prosecutor has said that U.S. actions like those at Abu Ghraib in Iraq are outside his jurisdiction.
The authors of the genocide in Darfur must be called to account NOW, before it’s too late. There isn’t time to set up a new, separate war crimes court, and there’s no reason to. Bring the killers of Darfur to the International Criminal Court.
