Darfur Victims File to Participate in ICC War-Crimes Trials

Even as the UN envoy prepares to leave after being expelled from Sudan, there is still hope -- in the form of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that are working on behalf of victims.

Darfurian refugees have formed their own U.S.-based organization to bring their voices to the justice process.  And now, two attorneys working with that organization have become the first in the world to file official applications to allow Sudanese war-crimes victims to participate in criminal proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.

Raymond M. Brown and Wanda M. Akin-Brown are two of only 26 U.S. attorneys admitted to practice before the ICC.  The Browns work with the Darfur Rehabilitation Project, an NGO based in New Jersey that was formed by Darfurian refugees in response to the human rights violations in their homeland.  

The Browns' journey to the Hague began in January 2005 with a simple request for advice from the Darfur Rehabilitation Project (DRP) on how to allow Darfurian victims access to the ICC. The Browns then joined the DRP to represent victims and act as a conduit for identifying victims.

In June, the Browns traveled to the Hague and filed applications with the ICC to formally begin the process of representing Darfurians, becoming the first NGO representatives ever to submit applications on behalf of victims of the Darfur crisis.

The DRP has compiled data from victims of the Darfur diaspora in Sudan, Chad and the U.S.  Darfurians who have applied to take part in the ICC trial proceedings include persons who suffered harm in Sudan after July 1, 2002, and their immediate family members.  The DRP asks that Darfur victims or people having information on victims contact them at www.brownakin.com to schedule an interview for inclusion in the proceedings.

Projects like the DRF give hope to other NGOs working inside Sudan to help victims and reassure them that the world is supporting their desire for justice.  Without that hope, Darfurians will never feel safe in bringing forward their claims of war crimes to international justice organizations such as the ICC.

If you'd like to contribute to people who are ensuring that the truth about Sudan's war crimes will be heard in the international criminal proceedings, make your contribution to www.darfurrehab.org.  Even just a few dollars will make a difference to keep this project going and ensure that victims' voices ring loud against the perpetrators of genocide and other war crimes.

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  by MsSpentyouth on Tue Oct 24, 2006 at 05:13:47 AM PDT