ICC suspensions are not a political tool

On July 13 Dave Eggers and John Prendergast published an article in the New York Times entitled "In Sudan, War is Around the Corner" where they suggested that the US could use a Security Council suspension (as per article 16 of the Rome Statute) of the ICC's indictment of Bashir as a political tool to encourage a peace agreement in Sudan. In response to this suggestion the New York Times published a letter by Rafael Medoff entitled "The War in Sudan". It refutes the use of suspensions as a political tool by stating:

"The way to stop genocide — and deter future war criminals — is to capture and prosecute the perpetrators, not give them rewards for signing peace treaties. The United States has shown on more than one occasion that it is capable of apprehending fugitive terrorists and tyrants around the world, from intercepting the Egyptian plane carrying the hijackers of the Achille Lauro (1985) to pursuing and arresting Manuel Noriega in Panama (1990).

President Bashir’s periodic visits to countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia create opportunities for the United States and its allies to bring him to justice. "

To read the original Op-Ed please click here. To read Medoff's response please click here.