Press Release: 10 April 2014

ICC informs the United Nations Security Council and the Assembly of States Parties about DRC’s non-cooperation in the arrest and surrender of Omar Al Bashir

ICC-CPI-20140410-PR994

On 9 April 2014, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) found that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has failed to cooperate with the Court by not arresting and surrendering Omar Al Bashir to the Court during his visit to the DRC on 26 and 27 February 2014.

The Chamber referred the matter to both the United Nations Security Council and the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, founding treaty of the ICC. It is now up to the States Parties and the UN Security Council to take the measures they deem necessary regarding this matter.

Background: Two arrest warrants have been issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I against Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, on 4 March 2009 and 12 July 2010 respectively, for five counts of crimes against humanity (murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape), two counts of war crimes (intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking part in hostilities, and pillaging), and three counts of genocide committed against the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups. The suspect remains at large.

Further information on this case is available here.

Decision on the Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Regarding Omar Al Bashir’s Arrest and Surrender to the Court – 9 April 2014 


For further information, please contact Sonia Robla, Chief of Public Information Section, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-8089 or 31 (0)6 46448726 or by e-mail at: [email protected].

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