News: Nigeria Is Sending ‘Terrible Signals’ By Hosting Sudanese President – HRW

Keppler who was interviewed via Skype in New York on Channels Television’s The World Today, stated that the Sudanese leader “belongs in custody, not being hosted at conferences in Nigeria” adding that “it is clear Nigerian activists want to see Al-Bashir arrested and that is why they’ve gone forward with court action to compel arrest.”


Al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and genocide in Darfur is attending an African Union summit on HIV/AIDS in the Nigerian capital.

Describing him as a “fugitive from the law who has an arrest warrant on him”, the HRW Senior Counsel stated that by being the first West African nation to host Al-Bashir, Nigeria is not showing leadership in the continent.

“Some African states have showed leadership in a way that Nigeria has not done by avoiding visits by Al-Bashir. Nigeria should have taken that step” she said.

Keppler decried claims that ICC is mainly targeting African leaders saying, such an argument is not supported by facts.

“In seven out of eight situations that are currently being investigated, either the state where the crimes were committed asked the ICC to come and be involved or the UN Security Council has requested involvement” she explained.