ICC marks 10^th anniversary

The Hague, 2 Jul –(ANA) -  The President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Judge Sang – Hyun SONG has called on all nations to unite and defeat impunity, lawlessness, brutality and disdain for human dignity. Speaking on the 10^th anniversary of the ICC, Judge Sang said all states, organisations and people everywhere must join the shared mission of humanity adding “ we must continue the fight against impunity with renewed resolve and increased vigour. We cannot rest until every victim has received justice.”

 On 1 July 2002, the first three staff members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) entered the ICC’s building in The Hague, the Netherlands. On that day, the ICC’s founding treaty, called the Rome Statute, entered into force.

 Ten years after that modest beginning, the ICC has turned into a major international institution, securing justice for victims when it cannot be delivered at the national level. 121 States have ratified the Rome Statute, and another 32 countries have signed it, indicating their intention to join the treaty.

The ICC is working in seven situation countries, and monitoring developments in seven others on several continents, turning the principles of the Rome Statute into reality. In March this year, the ICC delivered its first judgement in a case concerning the use of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Six cases are in the trial stage and nine others in pre-trial phase. These proceedings are testimony that impunity for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity is no longer tolerated by the international community. (ANA)

FA/ANA/02 July 2012-----------