ICC-02/05-01/09-238-Anx1 22-05-2015 1/6 EC PT ANNEX 1 PUBLIC
ICC-02/05-01/09-238-Anx1 22-05-2015 2/6 EC PT Media reports, travels of Mr. Omar Al-Bashir will travel to Indonesia, April 2015 Sudan Tribune 1 Bashir cancels Indonesia trip over denied flight permission: sources April 20, 2015 (KHARTOUM) Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-bashir cancelled a planned visit to Indonesia on Monday to attend a meeting of the non-aligned movement. The aeroplane of Sudanese leader Omer Hassan al-bashir lands at Beijing International Airport on 28 June 2011 (Photo: Reuters/Liu Jin/Pool) Government sources toldsudan Tribune on condition of anonymity that Bashir s trip was scrapped after several countries denied permission for him to fly over their airspace en route to Jakarta. The names of these nations and reasons behind their decision were not disclosed. A conference organiser in Jakarta confirmed to Reutersthat Bashir cancelled appearance at the last minute, but declined to say why. A press conference about the issue was scheduled to take place later on Tuesday in Jakarta. The circumstances surrounding this planned visit is similar to another one in 2011 when Bashir arrived in China a day late following a dramatic trip that saw his plane blocked from airspace of two countries, prompting him to return and adjust flight routes to avoid risk of arrest. In 2013, Saudi Arabia denied blocked his flight to Iran citing failure to obtain prior clearance. Bashir s trips are generally carefully planned in light of being wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The Sudanese presidency has not issued any statements on the cancellation of the visit. However, media reports attributed to a source in the foreign ministry said the trip cancellation was due to the protocols and constitutional requirements which govern the president s travelling abroad that prevent him from embarking on foreign trips before the end of elections and his taking of the oath. On Sunday, foreign ministry spokesperson Ali al-sadiq said Bashir would fly on Monday to Indonesia to participate in the summit which will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1955 Asia-Africa conference. He described the planned trip as ordinary without any potential risk after receiving an official invitation of his Indonesian counterpart. 1 Source
ICC-02/05-01/09-238-Anx1 22-05-2015 3/6 EC PT But the foreign ministry issued a statement on Monday saying that Sudan s delegation to the summit will be headed by the foreign minister, Ali Karti, instead of president Bashir without elaborating on the issue. Indonesia is not an ICC member and is therefore not obliged to hand over Bashir to the court. The Jakarta Post newspaper had reported that Bashir is among foreign leaders who confirmed attendance at the conference. The Sudanese leader cancelled a planned appearance in the South-Aast Asian nation of Malaysia in 2011 after controversy erupted there over his possible attendance. A Malaysian official at the time said that if Bashir decided to fulfill the invitation it can be an embarrassment to Malaysia. Bashir refuses to recognise the international tribunal, and considers it a colonial tool directed against his country and Africa. In July 2013, Bashir hastily left the Nigerian capital Abuja, less than 24 hours after arrival to participate in a regional summit after activists filed a lawsuit to compel the government to arrest him. The United States has refused in September 2013 to grant Bashir a visa to participate in the meetings of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City. Human Rights Watch (HRW) hailed the cancellation and urged Bashir to surrender himself to the ICC. Bashir s efforts to promote his legitimacy appear to have backfired and his movement is rightly limited. He should surrender himself to face the charges against him, said HRW associate international justice director Elise Keppler. (ST)
ICC-02/05-01/09-238-Anx1 22-05-2015 4/6 EC PT Reuters Sudan's president cancels trip to Indonesia Mon Apr 20, 2015 10:23pm EDT 1 of 1Full Size JAKARTA (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-bashir at the last minute canceled a trip to Indonesia for a summit this week, a government official said, in what would have been his first trip outside of Africa or the Middle East in nearly four years. Bashir's plan to attend the Asia-African leaders conference in Jakarta sparked protests among rights groups, who want the president to be arrested. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant in 2009 accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Darfur. Indonesia is not an ICC member. "Because he is busy monitoring the post-elections operations, the country's leadership saw it best for President Omar al-bashir to stay in the country," said Sudan's foreign ministry spokesman Ali al-sadiq. Sudan's minister of foreign affairs will instead lead the country's delegation at the Asian-African summit. A conference organizer confirmed Bashir will not be attending, but declined to say why. A press conference about the issue was scheduled to take place later on Tuesday in Jakarta. Rights groups welcomed Bashir's canceled trip. "These developments reinforce al-bashir's status as a fugitive from international justice with limited travel options," said Elise Keppler, associate director of the International Justice Programme at Human Rights Watch. Bashir's last visit outside of the region was to China in June 2011, though he has continued traveling to Arab and African states since then. Most of Bashir's visits have been to non-icc states such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, where he traveled in March. He also went to member states that have declined to arrest him, such as Nigeria, which hosted the Sudanese president in July 2013. The ICC does not have its own police force but relies on member states to detain suspects. The Non-Aligned Movement was founded during the Cold War by countries that did not want to ally themselves with either the Soviet Union or the United States. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz in KHARTOUM and Nicholas Owen and Randy Fabi in JAKARTA; Editing by Michael Perry)
ICC-02/05-01/09-238-Anx1 22-05-2015 5/6 EC PT The Jakarta Post Al-Bashir s failure to fly to Indonesia reinforces his fugitive status: NGO The Jakarta Post, Jakarta World Tue, April 21 2015, 4:30 PM World News An activist has said the recent failed attempt of Sudanese President Omar al-bashir to fly to Indonesia reinforces his status as a fugitive from international justice with limited travel options. This is not the first time Al-Bashir has had trouble traveling, and his movement is rightly restricted, said Elise Keppler, associate director of the International Justice Program at NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), on Tuesday. Keppler said the Sudanese president was subject to two International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants that included charges of unlawful attacks on civilians, murder, acts of extermination and rape, among other abuses. So far, President Al-Bashir has avoided arrest for alleged international crimes including genocide committed in Darfur. But his world has certainly gotten smaller, she said. On Monday, Al-Bashir planned to visit Indonesia to attend the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference scheduled to take place from April 19 to 24 in Jakarta and Bandung. A source in Sudan s Cabinet told the news outlet Sudan Tribune that Al-Bashir s plane was denied permission to fly through the airspace of some countries en route to Indonesia, although it is not known which ones, HRW said. Al-Bashir has traveled to Asia only once to China in 2011, amid criticism from the UN since becoming subject to arrest. Malaysia in 2011 chose to cancel a visit, while South Africa and Botswana have made it clear that Al-Bashir risks arrest if he enters their territories. Al-Bashir also canceled visits to conferences in Turkey and Kenya amid an outcry over his possible attendance. In 2012, an African Union summit in Malawi was relocated after Malawi s president made it clear that Al-Bashir was not welcome. In 2013, Al-Bashir traveled to Nigeria for a conference, only to leave abruptly less than 24 hours later as local activists took legal action to compel his arrest. Keppler said the Sudanese president seemed set on trying to rehabilitate his image with recent steps such as his certain re-election this month, and Sudan s decision to join Saudi Arabia s coalition to fight in Yemen. But victims in Darfur deserve to see justice and governments should help see this done, including by restricting Al- Bashir s travel. He belongs in one place only facing charges in The Hague, she said. (ebf)(++++)
ICC-02/05-01/09-238-Anx1 22-05-2015 6/6 EC PT Justice Hub Monday, April 20, 2015-13:59 By Niklas Jakobsson Sudanese President Omar al-bashir has been the talk of the town over the last few days for a number of reasons. The ICC-indicted leader of Sudan not only went to elections unopposed, he also decided to travel outside of Africa and the Middle East for the first time in four years. Having held the reign in Sudan for 25 years, al-bashir decided to stay on for a bit longer and announced his campaign for re-election earlier this year. The elections kicked off last Monday but voting turnout was as low as 15 percent, which led to some unexpected developments. While his status as head of state doesn t look like it ll change in the near future, consistent calls for his arrest are being made around the world. The online account Bashir Watch, which has been set up to support the ICC s warrant for the Sudanese president, again made the public aware of Bashir s travel plans and called out for Indonesia to take action. Even though Indonesia is not a state party to the Rome Statute, non-member states are still encouraged to bring international fugitives to justice. The situation in Darfur was referred to the International Criminal Court by the UN Security Council (UNSC) and the UNSC Resolution 1593 (2005) which urges all members of the United Nations to fully cooperate with the court. The 31st of March 2015 will mark 10 years since this referral. As a member of the United Nations, Indonesia is obligated to act and bring Bashir to justice. While the visit to Indonesia has been planned for quite a while, people were arguably still hopeful that Indonesia would at some point withdraw the invitation. Instead, calls started coming out for Indonesia to take action on behalf of the international community. If Indonesia doesn t detain al-bashir, there might be a different way to get justice and reparations for the victims. The ongoing Bashir watch from the ICC will most likely continue throughout this year and beyond as there are no indications that al-bashir will leave his place as the head of Sudan.