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SA court criticises government failure to detain al-Bashir

A South Afrcan court has criticised the government over its failure to prevent Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir from leaving the country, despite an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court.

The court had ordered the president to remain in the country while it investigated whether he could be arrested, however he was allowed to leave by plane, with the tacit approval of the South African government.

Judge Dunstan Mlambo said there was reason to believe that the South African government had committed a crime by ignoring the court order, and gave the government 24 hours to explain its actions.

"If the state... does not abide by court orders, the democratic edifice will crumble stone-by-stone until it collapses," he said.

Read more here.

Civil society activists ‘outraged’ at South African failure to arrest Bashir (17 June 2015)

South Africa allows suspected war criminal al-Bashir to leave, despite court order (15 Jun 2015)

Arrest war crimes accused Sudanese president - TAG (15 June 2015)

ICC urges South Africa to arrest Sudan's President Bashir (14 June 2015)

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