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HRW issues appeal to incoming ICC chief

BRUSSELS, June 14 (UPI) -- Human Rights Watch called on the incoming prosecutor at the ICC to bring a true sense of leadership to the court.

Gambian lawyer Fatou Bensouda will be sworn in Friday as chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court as the nine-year term for incumbent chief Luis Moreno-Ocampo expires.

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The ICC this year issued its first verdict, convicting Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga. Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo awaits a trial on war crimes charges and arrest warrants are out for Sudanese, Libyan and Congolese leaders.

Richard Dicker, director of the international justice program at Human Rights Watch, said the rights regime was looking a Bensouda to show leadership at the international court.

"Some governments seem to think that the ICC is a light switch that can be turned off when justice becomes inconvenient," Dicker said in a statement from Brussels. "Bensouda can push back against those seeking to politicize the court by signaling a clear commitment to delivering justice in the courtroom."

Bensouda becomes the second prosecutor for the court since operations began in 2002 and the first African woman to serve as the head of an international tribunal.

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The 10th anniversary of the Rome Statute that created the court is July 1.

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