IBA urges ICC states to co-operate with arrests
An International Bar Association (IBA) initiative on international criminal justice has called for the international community to reaffirm its support for the Rome Statute system and to strengthen co-operation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure justice and accountability worldwide.
The organisation’s statement was issued last week to mark the Day of International Criminal Justice (17 July), which is dedicated to honouring the creation of the ICC”s Rome Statute in 1998.
“This day underscores the vital role of the ICC as the world’s only permanent court with the authority to prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression,” the lawyers’ organisation stated.
Challenges
IBA President Jaime Carey said that, despite facing significant challenges, the ICC remained “a beacon of hope” for victims.
The association reiterated calls for states that are parties to the statute to co-operate with the arrest and surrender of suspects to ICC, which it described as “an essential step to ensure accountability” for victims of serious crimes.
Last month, the IBA condemned the imposition of additional sanctions against ICC judges by the US administration as an attack against the global rule of law and the independence of judges.
Aggression
The IBA noted that a meeting of the assembly of states that have signed up to the Rome Statute was held in New York earlier this month.
In a position paper, the IBA’s International Criminal Court and International Criminal Law (ICC & ICL) Programme had proposed amending the statute to ensure that the ICC could exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression, in line with other core crimes.
A different jurisdictional regime established for the crime of aggression means that the ICC cannot investigate and prosecute acts of aggression in some situations – including after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
This led to the ICC’s state parties setting up the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine in the framework of the Council of Europe (CoE).
Proposals to amend the statute in New York, however, faced opposition from some states, and the meeting eventually adopted a resolution that committed to strengthening the ICCC’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression.
It also decided to convene another special session in 2029 to reconsider the amendment proposals.