This conference will discuss the practical issues surrounding the international indictments and prosecutions of African leaders, as well as examining the wider issues around global indictments. In July 2008, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Moreno Luis-Ocampo requested that the ICC issue an indictment against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan for crimes against humanity and war crimes. This was the first time that an African head of state had faced formal charges while still in office, and the case has dominated the headlines. In March 2009, the ICC upheld the Prosecutor’s request, and issued a formal warrant of arrest against President al- Bashir. This indictment has polarised opinion within Sudan, and across the globe. It has also led to tensions between the ICC and the Arab League and African Union, with the latter organisations opposing the indictment.  The al – Bashir case ,and other international indictments of African leaders, demonstrate that there is no simple answer to the question of international justice;  supporters and critics remain divided over  the moral  and legal imperatives, as well as the consequences, of international indictments.

This Conference  will bring together international policy-makers and experts in the field in an open forum to allow the issues to be aired, and to outline a vision for the future. We are grateful to the Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis [CFPA] for their generous sponsorship of this conference. 

Programme sessions include:

• The ICC
• Indicting leaders: theory and practice
• Sudan
• Zimbabwe
• Uganda
• West Africa
• Lessons from the past
• Global human rights and traditional justice

Confirmed speakers include:

• Jonathan Steele, International Affairs Columnist, The Guardian Newspaper
• Dr Lam Akol Ajawin (SPLM), Former Minister of Foreign Affairs within the National Unity Government of Sudan
• Dr Abdullahi El-Tom, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan
• Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, Temple Gardens
• Brigadier–General Frank Rusagara, Rwanda Defence Forces/RUSI
• Dr John Laughland, Director of Studies, Institute of Democracy and Cooperation, Paris
• Derek Matyszak, Research and Advocacy Unit, Zimbabwe
• Dr Millius Pilayiwa, Registrar, Christ Church, Oxford
• Wilf Mbanga, Editor, The Zimbabwean
• Silas Chekera, Counsellor, Special Court for Sierra Leone, The Hague