Source: MWC News
More than 50 years ago the United Nations began working towards the establishment of a permanent, International Criminal Court (ICC).
In the course of the 20th Century some 170 million civilians were victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide (See Ref 1). The devastation and carnage of WW2 created a universal feeling that enough is enough and the common pledge of “Never again!”. The Nuremberg and Tokyo Tribunals were established and the Geneva Conventions and the International Treaty for the Renunciation of War were applied as a basis for prosecution of members of the German and Japanese governments and military for war crimes, crimes against humanity and the conduct of a war of aggression. Many of them were sentenced to death or to long prison terms.
Note: There is nothing wrong with the law; it has been applied with lethal effect!
In the closing decade of the 20th Century efforts for the establishment of a permanent international court intensified involving the United Nations, governments, Non-Government Organisations and individuals. For example, in 1995 a Coalition of 25 NGOs established the Coalition for the ICC (CICC), which grew to include 450 organizations in only 2 years and began cooperating with the organisation of Like Minded Governments (LMG) in contributing to efforts to establish the court. Today the CICC includes over 2,500 organisations (See Ref 2). Efforts focussed on the holding of a Conference for the establishment of the court.
In 1998 a six-week Diplomatic Conference for an International Criminal Court, held in Rome and attended by delegates of more than 160 governments, concluded on July 17 with the signing of the Rome Statute; the founding treaty of the ICC. The agreement provided that the treaty would come into force with the 60th ratification by a member nation, which occurred on July 1st 2002, and that a review conference would be held seven years after the date of coming into force to consider any amendments to the Statute. The ICC Review Conference was held in Kampala, Uganda between 31 May and 11 June 2010.
Read More: The Criminal Fraud of the ICC
Cartoon by Bob Moran
