JOHANNESBURG: A South African judge on Sunday barred Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir from leaving the country after the International Criminal Court called for him to be arrested at a summit in Johannesburg.

Bashir, who is wanted for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the Darfur conflict, mostly travels to countries that have not joined the ICC, but South Africa is a signatory of the court’s statutes.

The ruling was the first time any court has prevented a head of state from leaving a country following a request by the ICC, but Sudanese officials remained defiant, insisting Bashir would return home on schedule.

The Southern African Litigation Centre, a legal rights group, had launched an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court to force authorities to arrest Bashir on the opening day of the African Union summit.

“President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan is prohibited from leaving the Republic of South Africa until the final order is made in this application,” Judge Hans Fabricius said in his ruling.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2015

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