Speaking at the U.N. Human Rights Council today, the Union of Arab Jurists complained that the “politicization of the international justice system leads to selectivity in courts to serve the interests of powerful states.” It cited two examples: 1. The U.N. international tribunal on the 2005 murder of Lebanese President Rafik Hariri, which has reportedly suggested the involvement of Syria and the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the killing, 2. The International Criminal Court, which has indicted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for committing crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Union also complained that the “U.S. as an occupying power” has “taken away judges and designated others.”
The Union’s intervention came in the context of the report by Mr. Leandro Despouy, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Judges and Lawyers. The Union asked the rapporteur to “set out measures he feels necessary to bring an end” to the objectionable actions it highlighted and “act on those behind it.”
