DR of Congo brings case against Belgium to International Court of Justice
18 October -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has brought Belgium to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in an attempt to block an international arrest warrant issued by a Belgian judge against a Congolese official.
In proceedings started late yesterday, the DRC asked the Court to have Belgium withdraw its arrest warrant, which was sent out in July against the Congolese acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yerodia Abdoulaye Ndombasi. Belgium is seeking Mr. Ndombasi's extradition for alleged crimes constituting "grave violations of international humanitarian law."
In papers filed with the Court, the DRC states that the arrest warrant -- and the Belgian law under which it was filed -- constitute "a violation of the principle whereby a State may not exercise its authority on the territory of another State and the principle of sovereign equality among all members of the United Nations."
In the long run, the DRC is asking the Court to annul the international arrest warrant against the Congolese official. But the DRC also filed a request for an interim injunction, known as a "provisional measure," to have the arrest warrant withdrawn while the Court considers the merits of the case. In justifying its request for the provisional measure, the DRC argues that "the disputed international arrest warrant in effect prevents the [DRC] Minister from departing that State for any other State where his duties may call him and, accordingly, from accomplishing his duties."
A spokesman for the ICJ told the UN News Service that the Court is expected to hold hearings soon to allow both parties to present their arguments.
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