ICCSeptember trial for Ruto and Sang: The ICC set September 10 as the new date for the trial of Vice-President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang. The trial had earlier been scheduled to start on May 28. The two men are being jointly tried for crimes against humanity committed in their country during post-election violence in 2007-2008.
Chad slammed for failure to arrest Bashir: The ICC Prosecutor accused Chad of repeatedly violating its obligation to cooperate with the Court and arrest Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir, who is under two ICC arrest warrants. Presenting a report to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Fatou Bensouda stressed that Bashir has visited Ndjamena twice since the beginning of the year without any worries, even though Chad is a State Party to the ICC’s founding treaty, the Statute of Rome.
Bemba defence hopes to wrap up in September: The defence team for Congolese Senator and former Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba said on Thursday that they hope to finish presenting evidence before the ICC in September. Bemba’s lawyers have brought some 20 witnesses since they started presenting their case in August 2012, and are expected to bring another 25.
FRANCENo residence permit for Habyarimana’s widow: France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Wednesday ruled out any possibility of a residence permit for Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana, widow of the former Rwandan president whose assassination on April 6, 1994, sparked the genocide. Agathe Habyarimana is suspected of involvement in the genocide. After her asylum request was rejected in 2009, she was seeking a residence permit for family reasons on the basis that she has been in France for a long time with her children, some of whom have obtained French nationality.
ER/JC