Initial Word from the ICC:
The news broke online when the ICC issued a press release announcing its second arrest warrant against Omar al-Bashir, this time for three counts of genocide:
“[T]here are reasonable grounds to believe [Omar al-Bashir] responsible for three counts of genocide committed against the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups, that include: genocide by killing, genocide by causing serious bodily or mental harm and genocide by deliberately inflicting on each target group conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction.”
Media Coverage:
After the ICC issued its press release, BBC News was among the first of the primary media outlets to report the story online. Traffic from those who took an early interest in the story made it one of the most frequently tweeted and posted internet sources for people looking for the essential information on Monday morning.
The Associated Press was also a frequently referenced information source among tweeters, bloggers, and Facebook users who wanted to spread the word about the warrant. In this article, AP reporter Mike Corder calls the three charges against al-Bashir “a move that will pile further diplomatic pressure on his isolated regime” and noted that this is the first time the ICC has issued charges of genocide.
CNN added commentary on the AU’s reaction to ICC charges against al-Bashir:
“The African Union this year urged the court to delay war crimes proceedings against Sudan’s president, saying a decision allowing genocide charges harms peace efforts. ‘The African Union has always emphasized its commitment to justice and its total rejection of impunity,’ it said in a statement in February. ‘At the same time, the AU reiterates that the search for justice should be pursued in a manner not detrimental to the search for peace. The latest decision by the ICC (International Criminal Court) runs in the opposite direction.’”
Reuters released a piece with statements from Sudanese officials later in the day:
“Bashir says the allegations made by the ICC, the world’s first permanent court for prosecuting war crimes, are part of a Western conspiracy. The ICC warrant was the first issued against a sitting head of state by the court.
Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations, called the new arrest warrant a ‘malignant and desperate attempt’ to destabilize the country.
‘We condemn this move in strongest terms and we are confident that the Sudanese people and all peaceloving nations will ensure the demise of this criminal institution,’ Abdalhaleem said in a statement, referring to the ICC.”
Information from the UN:
The UN News Centre also covered the story and provided further information on the case against al-Bashir and how the UN Security Council has reacted to it:
“ICC’s pre-trial chamber at that time [of the first arrest warrant] rejected Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo’s application to charge Mr. al-Bashir with genocide, ruling that there was insufficient evidence. In February, the appeals chamber called for adding the charge of genocide to be reconsidered, finding the standard of proof set by the pre-trial chamber to be too demanding at the arrest warrant stage, amounting to an ‘error of law.’…In May, the ICC’s judges referred Sudan’s lack of cooperation in failing to arrest the Mr. al-Bashir and other indictees – including Ahmad Harun, a former national government minister of the interior – to the Security Council.”
Twitter:
Before noon, the following tweet by BreakingNews reached “Top Tweet” status:
“International Criminal Court charges Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with 3 counts of genocide in Darfur http://bit.ly/dC3lpa”
User robcrilly was among the first to offer criticism on Twitter:
“Campaigners will celebrate ICC warrant on genocide charges for Bashir #darfur. But ultimately meaningless. Just more grandstanding”
However, there were also expressions of optimism from users like elctrcityscape, who tweeted,
“Soon the victims of the #genocide in #darfur will have justice!”
Activists have also used this social media platform to urge the world to refocus on the crisis in Darfur. Many are using tags like #darfur and @statedept in their tweets to join the larger conversation to urge action regarding Darfur. Susan Morgan of Pax Communications tweeted,
“With news of Bashir’s warrant for #genocide, I ask @statedept to do all in its power to prevent retaliation against civilians in #Sudan.”
Others have retweeted statements from noted people involved with the crisis in Sudan. Within three hours, sixty five other users had retweeted the following tweet from Nicholas Kristof:
“Sudanese president Bashir indicted for genocide in Darfur. http://bit.ly/bLihc3 We need global pressure to arrest him.”
Facebook:
Kristof also took the story to Facebook, posting the following on his page:
“The ICC has just indicted Pres. Bashir of Sudan for genocide in Darfur, in addition to previous charges of crimes against humanity. Now the challenge is to see him delegitimized, ousted and brought to trial — a step toward ending impunity for dictators. But in the meantime, I fear he may unleash a new civil war in Sudan between north and south.”
Kristof has 163,522 users following his page, via the “like” feature. His Facebook page also has links to his blog, where he has previously covered Darfur.
There was also some commentary on the Save Darfur Coalition’s page, where users can find a direct link to the ICC Press Release. Comments on the posting included expressions of joy, but also of hesitance. For example, user Bridgette Hanning commented,
“Fantastic news . . . I hope the NGO’s have braced themselves.”
Blogs:
Many bloggers also offered their take on the news. Expressing her support for the latest move by the ICC, activist Mia Farrow wrote on her blog,
“It has long been obvious that his crimes against the people of Darfur meet the definition of genocide.”
On implications for the international community, Opalo’s Weblog noted,
“It is interesting to see how friends of Khartoum, and African states in particular, will react to this new charge. The African Union chose to back Bashir the last time the ICC called for his arrest.”
You can keep updated on reactions to the news of the second arrest warrant issued by the ICC against Omar al-Bashir by:
- Check for regular updates on the Save Darfur Coalition’s blog
- Follow discussions on Twitter by searching queries like #darfur or #genocide
- Checking the latest press coverage on Google News
- Following what people on Facebook are saying and posting
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: arrest warrant, ICC, ICC / Justice, news, Omar al-Bashir, reactions
