HL Deb 07 June 2004 vol 662 c4WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Who is responsible for collecting evidence of recent and current atrocities in Darfur, western Sudan, in order that alleged cases may be brought before the International Criminal Court. [HL2910]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

Sudan is not a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), so the court could exercise jurisdiction only if Sudan lodged a declaration with the registrar of the ICC accepting the court's jurisdiction or if the situation is referred to the court by the Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

We, and our EU partner, have made clear that reported attacks against civilians should be thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice.

We welcome the announcement by the Sudanense Government of the creation of a national independent human rights committee to investigate alleged human rights abuses in Darfur, with particular focus on the activities of the armed militias known as the Janjaweed. The UK's Special Representative for Sudan met the head of this committee in Khartoum on 17 May.