OTP has enough evidence to identify perpetrators in Darfur

November 29, 2006 - The International Criminal Court (ICC) is close to identifying perpetrators in atrocities occurring in Sudan’s Darfur region, according to Chief Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo. During his briefing to the Assembly of State Parties (ASP), Mr. Ocampo informed the Assembly that "we selected incidents during the period in which the gravest crimes occurred…Based on the evidence collected, we identified those most responsible for the crimes."

Although the Office of the Prosecutor’s (OTP) investigation nears completion, Ocampo did not provide specific names of perpetrators in the Darfur violence. Still, it is widely speculated that based on this most recent statement, arrest warrants for those most responsible for the atrocities in Darfur will be issued in 2007.

During his statement, Ocampo also outlined the next steps in the case, stressing that “before submitting our evidence to the judges…my office has to assess whether the Government of Sudan is conducting genuine national proceedings on the same incidents.” Information to determine admissibility of the case to the ICC will be gathered by the beginning of December. The OTP has gathered evidence from an array of sources, including witness statements in refugee camps in the neighboring country of Chad. The Sudanese government has denied the OTP's missions access to Darfur.

The crisis in Darfur is claiming over 500 lives every day, with over 400,000 Darfurians already dead and over 2 million displaced. Domestic and international rights groups, the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and President Bush himself have condemned the crimes committed in Darfur and called for accountability. Luis Moreno-Ocampo’s statements were made during the Fifth Session of the Assembly of State Parties at The Hague, The Netherlands on November, 23 2006, where the issue of the first cases before the Court dominated much of the discussions. Prosecutor Ocampo also discussed the progress of cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Northern Uganda.

+ READ PROSECUTOR OCAMPO'S BRIEFING TO THE ASP
+ READ ABOUT THE FIFTH SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF STATE PARTIES
_{+ LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ASSEMBLY OF STATE PARTIES}
+ READ ABOUT U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN'S OPENING STATEMENT AT THE ASP MEETING
 

Updated December 11, 2006

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