Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUN / ICC SUDAN
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: UN / ICC SUDAN
TRT:2:19
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 10 DECEMBER 2020, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
RECENT – NEW YORK CITY
1.Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
10 DECEMBER 2020, NEW YORK CITY
2.Multiscreen
3.SOUNDBITE (English) Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC):
“In Khartoum, I stressed in particular, the urgent need for my investigators to be given access to the territory of Sudan; I emphasised that time is of the essence as my team strives to meet the various deadlines set by the Court’s judges in Mr Abd-Al-Rahman’s case. I reiterate this call and urge this Council to impress upon Sudan the urgent need for my investigators to access its territory and in particular, to conduct investigative missions in Darfur without further delay.”
4.Multiscreen
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC):
“I take this opportunity to appeal to this Council and through you, to the authorities of the Government of the Sudan, to intensify the dialogue with my Office in relation to these outstanding warrants. We must ensure, with full respect for the principle of complementarity, that all the ICC suspects are brought to justice through fair, objective and independent proceedings, either before the Court, or in Sudanese courts, guided by the requirements of the Rome Statute. This Council can play a decisive role in expediting this process and ensuring Sudan’s full, prompt and tangible cooperation with the ICC, consistent with its international obligations.”
6.Multiscreen
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC):
“Sudan’s immediate facilitation of access to its territory would demonstrate to victims, to the Sudanese people and to the international community including this Council, that Sudan seriously intends to implement the principles adopted in the Juba Peace Agreement and this Council’s Resolution which referred the situation of Darfur to my Office. It would further give concrete expression to the assurances of cooperation conveyed to me in person during the recent historic visit of my Office to Khartoum. It would equally signal that Sudan is genuinely committed to the path of justice.”
8.Multiscreen
Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) urged the Security Council to “impress upon Sudan the urgent need” for her investigators to “access its territory and in particular, to conduct investigative missions in Darfur without further delay.”
Addressing the Security Council via a video link today (10 Dec), Bensouda stressed that in Khartoum, the “urgent need” for her investigators to be given access to the territory of Sudan, emphasising that “time is of the essence as my team strives to meet the various deadlines set by the Court’s judges in Mr Abd-Al-Rahman’s case.”
Taking the opportunity to stress that the outstanding ICC arrest warrants against Messrs Omar Al Bashir, Ahmad Harun, Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein, and Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain remain in full force, the Chief Prosecutor said that to date, her Office has not received any official confirmation by the competent authorities of Sudan on what actions they intend to take in relation to the remaining ICC suspects, who, with the exception of Mr Banda, are reportedly in their custody.
Bensouda said, “I take this opportunity to appeal to this Council and through you, to the authorities of the Government of the Sudan, to intensify the dialogue with my Office in relation to these outstanding warrants.”
She stressed, “we must ensure, with full respect for the principle of complementarity, that all the ICC suspects are brought to justice through fair, objective and independent proceedings, either before the Court, or in Sudanese courts, guided by the requirements of the Rome Statute.”
The Chief Prosecutor stated, “this Council can play a decisive role in expediting this process and ensuring Sudan’s full, prompt and tangible cooperation with the ICC, consistent with its international obligations."
Bensouda also said that it had been her hope that her team would have travelled to Sudan in November for an operational assessment mission to pave the way for fully fledged investigative activities immediately thereafter. Unfortunately, this mission was postponed at the request of the Sudanese authorities. No new dates have been offered and the window of opportunity to conduct investigations prior to Mr Abd-Al-Rahman’s confirmation of charges hearing is rapidly closing, said the Chief Prosecutor.
She said, “Sudan’s immediate facilitation of access to its territory would demonstrate to victims, to the Sudanese people and to the international community including this Council, that Sudan seriously intends to implement the principles adopted in the Juba Peace Agreement and this Council’s Resolution which referred the situation of Darfur to my Office.”
Bensouda continued, “it would further give concrete expression to the assurances of cooperation conveyed to me in person during the recent historic visit of my Office to Khartoum. It would equally signal that Sudan is genuinely committed to the path of justice.”
If the mission is rescheduled soon, her Office will have the opportunity to directly engage with victims and witnesses, in situ, for the first time and to ensure their evidence is made available to the judges at Mr Abd- Al-Rahman’s confirmation of charges hearing, currently scheduled for 22 February 2021.
