Lima, Peru/ The Hague, Netherlands – On 19 May 2011, Grenada acceded to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) — the founding treaty of the first permanent international court capable of trying perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Grenada’s accession demonstrates its strong commitment to justice and the rule of law, the Coalition stated today.
“Grenada’s accession affirms its commitment to preventing and putting an end to impunity for serious crimes,” said Coalition Convenor William R. Pace. “This decision is an important step toward universality of the Rome Statute in the Caribbean Community, and we hope this will inspire other states in the region to join this extraordinary justice system promptly.”
The Coalition for the International Criminal Court — a civil society network of 2,500 organizations in over 150 countries advocating for a fair, effective and independent ICC and improved access to justice for victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity — commends Grenada for its decision to join 114 other nations around the world and spread support for the ICC in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
With Grenada’s accession and the ratification of Saint Lucia in August 2010, only three states in the CARICOM have yet to ratify the Statute: the Bahamas, Jamaica and Haiti. Caribbean states and civil society played a key role in the creation and establishment of the ICC. In 1989, during the United Nations’ 44th General Assembly, Trinidad and Tobago submitted an agenda item on the establishment of an international criminal court for the Assembly’s consideration. This motion – which gained the support of a number of states, including all CARICOM member states – ultimately resulted in a consensus resolution that called for the creation of an international criminal court.
“The acceptance by Grenada of the Rome Statute restates in the most eloquent terms possible the continued commitment of the Caribbean Community to the ICC,” noted the Honorable Mr. Justice Winston Anderson, Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice, former General Counsel of the Caribbean Community, and Professor of International Law at the University of West Indies. “The Grenadian acceptance also symbolizes the region's commitment to the maintenance of international criminal justice and the rule of law rather than the rule of the jungle. This is a proud moment in Caribbean jurisprudence,” Justice Anderson added.
On 16 and 17 May 2011, government representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Haiti, Jamaica and Grenada, notable jurists and personalities from the region such as the Hon. A.N.R. Robinson,
former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as ICC President Judge Sang-Hyun Song, the President of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) Christian Wenaweser, and the Coalition’s Americas Coordinator Francesca Varda gathered in Port of Spain for a CARICOM seminar on the ICC organized by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.
“In addition to welcoming this important accession to the Rome Statute by Grenada, discussions during the conference centered on the need for all states parties to fully support the ICC and to adopt legislation on Rome Statute crimes at the national level and allow effective cooperation with the Court,” said the Coalition’s Americas Coordinator Francesca Varda.
By joining the ICC treaty today, Grenada will also be able to nominate and elect highly qualified candidates for crucial ICC elections scheduled for December 2011, during which state parties will elect six new judges and a new prosecutor, among other key officials.
Background: The ICC is the world’s first, permanent international court to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Central to the Court’s mandate is the principle of complementarity, which holds that the Court will only intervene if national legal systems are unable or unwilling to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. There are currently six active investigations before the Court: the Central African Republic; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Darfur, the Sudan; Kenya; Libya; and Uganda. The ICC has publicly issued 15 arrest warrants and nine summonses to appear. Three trials are ongoing. The Office of the Prosecutor has made public that it is examining at least nine situations on four continents, including Afghanistan, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Republic of Korea, Nigeria, and Palestine.
The Coalition for the International Criminal Court is a global network of civil society organizations in over 150 countries working in partnership to strengthen international cooperation with the ICC; ensure that the Court is fair, effective and independent; make justice both visible and universal; and advance stronger national laws that deliver justice to victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. For more information, visit:
www.coalitionfortheicc.org.
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