The lawyer of the isolated Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir confirmed today, Tuesday, that his client refuses to deal with the International Criminal Court because he considers it a "political court", and that the Sudanese judiciary can handle any case.
"We refuse to enter the International Criminal Court because it is a political court and not a judicial one, and we also refuse to internationalize justice, as we believe that the judiciary in Sudan is capable and willing to consider these accusations," lawyer Mohammed Al-Hassan Al-Amin told Reuters.
The CNN network quoted a high-ranking Sudanese government source, this evening, as saying that Khartoum had taken a decision to hand Bashir and other suspects to the International Criminal Court, on the background of accusing them of war crimes in Darfur.
The network quoted the government source as saying: “As part of the agreement between the government and the rebel movement, the sovereign council agreed to hand over Ahmed Harun (former Interior Minister), Abdul Rahim Muhammad Hussein, and the Janjaweed commander known as Ali Kushayb.”
The International Criminal Court commented on the latest reports, saying that it has not yet confirmed Sudan's decision to extradite those accused of genocide in Darfur, including Bashir.
A source in the court's media office said: "We have seen news about this matter, we are trying to obtain confirmation, but so far we have no information about this case."
The International Criminal Court calls on the Sudanese authorities to expedite the extradition of the ousted president, Omar al-Bashir, to the court in The Hague or try him in Khartoum, as responsible for the crimes committed in the Darfur region, based on two arrest warrants issued in 2009 and 2010 to arrest him.