Arrest Bashir - Uganda rights body

By Francis Emorut

Human rights group have urged government to arrest Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir if he attends the international conference on Great Lakes region which starts next week.

“We call upon Uganda to respect and fulfill her obligations under international law to arrest and surrender President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court if he attends the summit,” Mohammed Ndifuna, the chief executive officer of Human Rights Network Uganda said.

In a joint statement with the Uganda Coalition on International Criminal Court, the group said if the Government doesn’t honour its obligation of apprehending Bashir they will seek domestic arrest want from the courts of law.

The heads of state summit that begins on December 15 to 16 in Kampala will see dignitaries from the Great Lakes region jetting into the country.

The rights body appealed to government to take its diplomatic international relations seriously and continue to cooperate with the International Criminal Court.

Bashir is wanted by ICC over crimes committed against humanity in Darfur.

Joyce Apio the project coordinator of Uganda Coalition on International Criminal Court noted that rights group will be compelled to seek redress from the judiciary to have domestic arrest warrant issued by the Ugandan courts if Government doesn’t arrest Bashir.