Sudan said on Tuesday the International Criminal Court had no jurisdiction to try its citizens for crimes in Darfur, and said one of the two ICC suspects named has been in custody in Khartoum for months.
Sudan's justice minister, speaking shortly after the ICC named the first two suspects it wants tried for war crimes in Darfur, also dismissed the court's evidence as lies concocted by those fighting the state. "The court has no jurisdiction to try any Sudanese for any alleged crimes," Justice Minister Mohamed Ali al-Mardi told a news conference in Khartoum.
"(Our) stance is not limited to those who fight on the government's side but applies to all Sudanese, including those who still bear arms and fight the government. They are Sudanese, and we will not let them be tried by any court outside Sudan."