{"id":6484,"date":"2013-07-14T09:24:52","date_gmt":"2013-07-14T09:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/rights-group-urges-nigeria-arrest-sudans-bashir\/"},"modified":"2013-07-14T09:24:52","modified_gmt":"2013-07-14T09:24:52","slug":"rights-group-urges-nigeria-arrest-sudans-bashir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/rights-group-urges-nigeria-arrest-sudans-bashir\/","title":{"rendered":"Rights group urges Nigeria arrest Sudan\u2019s Bashir"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Human Rights Watch on Saturday urged Nigeria to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he attends an African AIdS summit scheduled for Abuja, the Nigerian capital next week.<\/p>\n

The arrest should be made, if the Nigerian government fails to stop al-Bashir from staying away at the conference, HRW said.<\/p>\n

Nigeria is a member of the International Criminal Court which has charged Bashir with war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity over the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region.<\/p>\n

Khartoum confirmed that Bashir has been invited to the Nigerian capital, which is hosting an African Union HIV\/AIDS summit that opens Monday.<\/p>\n

“I understand that there is (an) invitation,” to visit Abuja, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Abubakr Al-Siddiq told AFP.<\/p>\n

“The visit will take place soon,” he added, without specifying whether Bashir planned to attend the AU summit.<\/p>\n

Nigerian officials were not available to comment on the invitation or Bashir’s possible attendance.<\/p>\n

Associate director of the International Justice Programme at Human Rights Watch, Elise Keppler, told AFP the prospective visit marks “a real test of Nigeria’s commitment to the ICC.”<\/p>\n

Since The Hague-based court issued the indictments against Bashir in 2009, his visits, or proposed travel, to ICC member states have sparked repeated controversy.<\/p>\n

Some court members, including Chad, Djibouti and Kenya have allowed such visits, but others like Botswana, South Africa and Uganda have ensured that Bashir stay away.<\/p>\n

A number of states “have found a way out of this problem and Nigeria should do the same,” Keppler told AFP.<\/p>\n

If Bashir in fact visits, Nigeria “should arrest the ICC fugitive,” she added.<\/p>\n

Countries that have signed on to the world’s only permanent court for war crimes and crimes against humanity have a legal obligation to arrest any indicted suspect found within their territory.<\/p>\n

A number of African leaders, including some at the African Union, have charged that the Bashir arrest warrant has hampered efforts to conduct continental diplomacy.<\/p>\n

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