ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
Email: [email protected]
Website:
PRESS RELEASE
July 14, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Email: [email protected]
ANCA WELCOMES CHARGES AGAINST SUDAN’S GENOCIDAL LEADER
— International Criminal Court Accuses Omar al-Bashir
of "Genocide" and "Crimes against humanity"
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
today welcomed news of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s)
indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of
genocide against the people of Darfur.
"Armenian Americans welcome these charges as a meaningful step
forward in the international movement to end the cycle of
genocide," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.
"We are hopeful that this legal milestone will mark a turning point
toward decisive action on the part of the United States, the U.N.
Security Council, and the international community to end Khartoum’s
brutal and systematic drive to destroy the population of Darfur
through massacre, disease and malnutrition."
The Save Darfur Coalition, of which the ANCA is a member, has
initiated a grassroots email campaign to the U.N. Security Council,
urging them to take decisive action on a comprehensive strategy for
Sudan. Save Darfur President Jerry Fowler noted, "The world at-
large, primarily the Security Council, has allowed al-Bashir to
continue his reign of destruction, recalcitrance and violence with
utter impunity. Moreno-Ocampo has acted. Now the Security Council
must as well." To participate in the email campaign, visit:
ersary
The Associated Press reported today that Luis Moreno-Ocampo, "the
prosecutor of the International Criminal Court filed genocide
charges Monday against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, accusing
him of masterminding attempts to wipe out African tribes in Darfur
with a campaign of murder, rape and deportation. The filing marked
the first time prosecutors at the world’s first permanent, global
war crimes court have issued charges against a sitting head of
state, but al-Bashir is unlikely to be sent to The Hague any time
soon. Sudan rejects the court’s jurisdiction, and senior Sudanese
officials said the prosecutor was politically motivated to file the
charges." In presenting his case, Moreno-Ocampo explained that,
"Genocide is a crime of intention – we don’t need to wait until
these 2.5 million die." He added that, "the genocide is ongoing."
In January of this year al-Bashir completed a three-day state visit
to Turkey, at the invitation of President Abdullah Gul. During the
visit, Turkey ran against the current of growing international
isolation of Khartoum’s genocidal regime by signing a memorandum of
understanding to strengthen Sudan-Turkey military relations and
expanding cooperation on military technology transfers and
training. Turkey’s Minister of Trade projected at the time that
Sudan will soon be Turkey’s largest trading partner in Africa.
Despite calls from human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch,
Turkish President Gul did not put pressure on Sudan to end the
atrocities in Darfur, but instead claimed that it was merely a
"humanitarian tragedy" that "is not only a matter of politics, but
also stems from poverty and environmental conditions"
#####
Photo Caption: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with Turkish
President Aldullah Gul during their meeting in Turkey in January,
2008.