Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Omar al-Bashir, and others in Sudan against whom warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court, will be handed over to stand trial; who else they expect will be subject to prosecution; and when they anticipate that those cases will be brought to trial.

The UK welcomes the news that Sudan intends that Omar al-Bashir, and four others indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), will stand trial for crimes committed in Darfur. Accountability for Bashir and others is a significant step in Sudan's progress towards the goals of the revolution and a peace settlement in Darfur. We welcome this signal of the commitment of Sudan's transitional government to justice. The Sudanese authorities have not yet set out how they will cooperate with the ICC on arrest warrants, but have stated their intention for those indicted by the ICC to be tried for the crimes for which they have been charged. The modality of any trial, as well as the issuing of any further warrants of arrest or summons to appear, will also need to be agreed. The UK strongly supports the ICC, and the role it plays in holding perpetrators to account and achieving justice for victims.