Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress made by the International Criminal Court in bringing to trial Omar al-Bashir on charges of genocide; and what assistance they have provided to the government of Sudan in facilitating that 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. Such accountability is a significant step in Sudan's progress towards the goals of the revolution and a peace settlement in Darfur. The Sudanese authorities have not yet set out how they will cooperate with the ICC, but have stated their intention for those indicted by the ICC to be tried for the crimes for which they have been charged. The UK strongly supports the ICC, and the role it plays in holding perpetrators to account and achieving justice for victims. At a UN Security Council briefing by the ICC's lead prosecutor on 11 June, the UK called for the Government of Sudan to productively engage with the ICC on these issues and, as a first step, allow a visit by the prosecutor to Sudan as soon as possible.