ICC refers Jordan to UNSC for failure to arrest Sudan’s Al-Bashir

The International Criminal Court (ICC) said yesterday it will refer Jordan to the United Nations Security Council because the Kingdom failed to arrest Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir when he visited Amman in March.

The court issued a statement yesterday saying the Pre-Trial Chamber II has decided to refer “the matter of Jordan’s non-compliance to the Assembly of States Parties of the Rome Statute and the United Nations Security Council”.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Bin Ra’ad Al-Hussein, condemned Jordan’s hosting of Al-Bashir during the Arab Summit, saying that Jordan, a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC had “abandoned its commitments” when it hosted a head of state wanted by the International Criminal Court.

Read: ICC declines to refer S. Africa to UN for not arresting Sudan’s Bashir

At the time of Al-Bashir’s visit, Human Rights Watch called on the Jordanian authorities to prevent him from attending the summit or to arrest him.

The ICC issued two arrest warrants against Al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010 for his alleged role in war crimes in the Darfur region.