International brief ~ US, UK introduce Sudan sanctions list to Security Council News
International brief ~ US, UK introduce Sudan sanctions list to Security Council

[JURIST] Leading Thursday's international brief, the US and UK representatives to the UN Security Council [official website] introduced a list of four individuals in Sudan [government website] that they allege have taken active steps to frustrate the attempted peace process in the Darfur region [JURIST news archive]. The list includes a call for sanctions to be imposed against the individuals [Bolton briefing transcript], including the suspension of travel rights and the freezing of all assets. Under Security Council procedure, a call for sanctions of this kind may be objected to for up to 48 hours after submission, but because of the Easter holiday, the objection period has been extended to Monday. If no objections are lodged, the sanctions take effect immediately. Since financial sanctions are included, the names on the list will remain classified until a decision concerning the implementation of sanctions has been reached. Russia has responded to the list by saying that it wishes to study the names to ensure that imposing sanctions will not simply exacerbate the problems occurring between rebel forces and Sudanese government representatives. The Sudan Tribune has local coverage.

In other international legal news …

  • The Australian government [official website] has announced plans to conduct all asylum hearings for refugees arriving by boat on island processing facilities. The decision is aimed at the large and increasing number of refugee seekers coming from Indonesia to Australia. The new procedure will treat every arrival to Australia by boat as if they had arrived at a UN refugee processing center. Under Australian law, physical presence inside the country's territory grants certain constitutional rights, including due process rights. The Australian government has used island processing facilities to hold asylum hearings for refugee seekers that need only adhere to minimum UN standards instead of Australian constitutional rights. The decision is part of an ongoing dispute [BBC report] between Indonesia and Australia over its decision to grant asylum to 42 asylum seekers from the disputed Papua province. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Australia [JURIST news archive]. The Sydney Morning Herald has local coverage.
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