A visit to Libya on Saturday by Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on genocide charges, has been criticized by a leading rights group.
Bashir “was given a warm welcome by the head of Libya’s National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, and members of the interim government,” the online version of the English-language paper The Tripoli Post reported. It also noted that the visit was the first by Bashir to Libya “since the overthrow of the dictatorial regime of Muammar Gaddafi.”
"Welcoming Bashir ... raises questions about the NTC's stated commitment to human rights and the rule of law," Richard Dicker, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
"Following the end of decades of brutal rule in Libya, it is disturbing if Tripoli hosts a head of state on the run from international arrest warrants for grave human rights violations."
Bashir supported last year’s revolt against Gaddafi.
Relations between Gaddafi-era Libya and Sudan were tense after Sudan accused the late Libyan leader of supporting rebels in Darfur.
“In 2010, the Gaddafi regime offered sanctuary to Darfur rebel chief Ibrahim Khalil, who was killed in Sudan last month after his return to the country,” The Tripoli Post said.
Libya is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court charter, and is under no legal obligation to arrest Bashir
