Who decides whether Omar al-Bashir will be charged with crimes committed in Darfur?
A panel of judges, known as the Pre-Trial Chamber, will review the evidence, and decide whether or not to charge al-Bashir. If the judges determine that there are reasonable grounds to believe that al-Bashir committed the alleged crimes, they will issue an arrest warrant. At this stage, they make no determination of the accused?s innocence or guilt. The judges can also dismiss the Prosecutor?s application, agree with it partially or ask for more information. A decision on an arrest warrant can take six to eight weeks, but as this is a complex case, it may take longer.
