Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Hannay of Chiswick (Crossbench). It was answered on Tuesday, 15 July 2008.

Sudan

Question: My Lords, does not the noble Lord agree that it is very important that it be made clear that this International Criminal Court administers justice in an even-handed way? The extension of responsibility to Sudan by the Security Council some years ago applies to the insurgents, just as it applies to the Government. If the insurgents commit crimes against humanity or grave breaches of international humanitarian law, they too will be pursued by the court, as was the case in the former Yugoslavia, where some members of all three groups were eventually brought before the court. It is rather important that that be so. It should not be thought that the court is a mechanism for pursuing just the Government.

Answer: My Lords, the noble Lord makes an important point. He will know that an international commission of inquiry concluded in January three years ago that the Government of Sudan had not pursued a policy of genocide, but highlighted grave concerns about crimes committed by all sides in Darfur. The United Kingdom was one of the countries that took the matter to the Security Council. The consequence of that is where we are today. Our priority is to ensure that violations of international humanitarian law cease and the perpetrators are held to account.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 703 c1099-100
Session: 2007-08
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Homicide Peacekeeping operations United Nations Sudan African Union
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk