Prosecuting war crimes

The Hague, Netherlands

The U.N. Security Council last week gave the new International Criminal Court in The Hague the power to try war-crimes cases from Sudan. The U.S., which opposed the establishment of the court and is not a party to it, had said it would veto any resolution acknowledging the court’s authority. But it withdrew that opposition in this instance, citing the pressing need for action in Sudan, after the council added amendments exempting U.S. citizens from the court’s jurisdiction. “We didn’t cave,” said U.S. mission spokesman Richard Grenell. “We got the full protection for Americans that we sought.” At least 50 people have been indicted for alleged war crimes in Darfur, Sudan, where government-backed Arab militias have driven more than a million people from their homes.

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