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Aegis Trust develops an application using Facebook and Google Maps to track and locate Darfur war criminals in Sudan.
From Aegis Trust:
On First Anniversary of ICC Darfur Indictments, Facebook joins hunt for war criminals.
Facebook, known for its trivia and embarrassing photos, is taking a serious turn this weekend with the launch on Sunday of the Wanted for War Crimes Watch List.
Sunday 27 April marks the first anniversary of the only indictments so far issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.
The two suspects named – Sudan’s Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Ahmed Harun, and Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb – are prominently featured in the Wanted for War Crimes Watch List, which links to indicted war criminals still on the run and encourages Facebook users to come forward with sightings and reports on their last-known locations. It is designed to keep tabs on an ever-growing number of indicted war criminals.
Google Earth and Google Maps have been used to map the last-known movements of the two Sudanese suspects, each indicted by the ICC for over 40 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur. The Watch List even lists Ahmad Harun’s phone number and office address. “It’s unbelievable that the UN lists Ahmed Harun’s office address and phone number in its directory of contacts. He isn’t a fugitive hiding in a cave somewhere – but a bland looking man in a suit, sitting behind a desk in Khartoum,” said Nick Donovan, the Aegis Trust’s Head of Campaigns. “The UN Security Council should immediately implement targeted sanctions on those Sudanese Government officials harbouring suspected war criminals.”
The Watch List has been set up by the Aegis Trust, which coordinates the Wanted for War Crimes campaign, together with Kevin Matleuf – the creator of EnemyBook. EnemyBook is a tongue-in-cheek application which allows you to list your enemies as well as your friends.
“With Facebook you can list your friends. When I saw that EnemyBook allows you to list your enemies I immediately saw the potential for keeping track of suspected war criminals,” says Nick Donovan. “It’s a new way to send an old message. Wanted posters can only be seen by a few hundred people at most – the internet is used by billions.”
“The men on the watch list are suspected of hundreds of thousands of murders,” said Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust. “Someone, somewhere, knows where they are. They shouldn’t be allowed to live out their last days in luxury. Their future lies in a courtroom. That’s what their victims deserve.”
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