Ahead of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Review Conference that will amend the Rome Statute (which defines the ICC's rules of operation) and take stock of the court's progress, MEPs have called for all countries in the world to sign and ratify the statute.
In a resolution adopted on 19 May, they urged member states to participate at the highest political level in the conference in Kampala (Uganda) to show their commitment to the ICC, the only independent court with jurisdiction for genocides, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
KAMPALA CONFERENCE
Nearly ten years on from the establishment of the ICC, participants in this first review conference will assess the court's effectiveness and future challenges. One of the main objectives is to define "crimes of aggression";, which can be described as "the planning, preparation, initiation or execution, by a person in a position effectively to exercise control over or to direct the political or military action of a State, of an act of aggression which, by its character, gravity and scale, constitutes a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations";.
They also call for deletion of Article 124 of the Rome Statute which allows states not to accept the court's jurisdiction for a period of seven years after ratification. With a view to the protection of victims, the European Parliament advises member states to cooperate actively with the ICC, to facilitate the transfer of persons for judgment and to provide appropriate legal assistance and protection for victims and their lawyers. Member states should also announce a substantial financial contribution to the trust fund for victims.
MEPs rejected a new immunity agreement that could allow any individual accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide to go unpunished. They also urged the EU-27 to prioritise the inclusion as a war crime of the use of certain weapons like poisons or asphyxiating gases in the context of an armed conflict not of an international character.
The Council's agenda for the coming week includes the adoption of conclusions supporting the work of this conference and more generally the ICC's action as well as encouraging universal accession to the Rome Statute.
Background
Of the 139 signatories of the Rome Statute, 111 countries have already ratified it, including the 27 EU member states. A decade after the establishment of the ICC, the first Review Conference will be held from 31 May to 11 June in Uganda. A delegation of the EP Subcommittee on Human Rights will attend. The EU has already provided more than 40 million euro under the European instrument for democracy and human rights for projects to support the ICC.
Europolitics 05-24-10
