Eradicating evil is on trial
Steven Freeland; 16/7/08
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the statute of the International Criminal Court. On July 17, 1998, delegates from more than 120 countries attending a conference in Rome voted to establish a permanent international criminal body to act quickly and effectively when the most serious forms of international crime were committed. The Rome Statute confirmed the international community’s aim of “putting an end to impunity”. As a permanent court, the ICC is unlike previous international criminal tribunals established as ad hoc bodies, such as the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals following World War II and the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. The ICC began its activities in July 2002, following ratification by the requisite 60 countries (there are now 106 state parties). Australia ratified the Rome Statute in July 2002 and remains a strong supporter of universal justice and the work of the court.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24026526-7583,00.html
Taking on the tyrants
Tim McCormack; 16/6/08
The International Criminal Court may have some failings, but it has generated a worldwide change in attitude. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Argentinian prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has just upped the ante on Sudan. Only days after the military attack on UN peacekeepers in Darfur, Ocampo has indicated his intention to issue an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan. Ocampo alleges that Bashir has mobilised the full military resources of the state to wage a systematic campaign of carnage - killings, rape and forceful displacement - against the Darfuri population. Bashir will be the first head of state to be indicted by the court.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/taking-on-the-tyrants-20080715-3fkp.html
Tags: Anniversary, ICC