WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, expressed his outrage that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has even requested a visa for the upcoming United National General Assembly.

“I join the Department of State and the much of the international community in condemning Sudanese President al-Bashir’s request for a United States visa to attend the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York. President al-Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity and must answer to these accusations.  He has proven once again that he has no respect for the international community and the norms that we hold dear. President al-Bashir needs to go to The Hague, not the United Nations.”