Arab countries urged to become members of criminal court

Arab countries are inadequately represented in the Rome Statute, the basis of International Criminal Court (ICC) and should take steps to become members, ICC officials said yesterday. ICC, along with the Qatari Public Prosecution Office, is holding the first regional conference on the institution for two days starting today.

Briefing media, ICC’s associate legal outreach officer Fadi el-Abdallah said since the Rome Statute in 1998 and establishment of the ICC in July of 2002, only three out of 22 Arab countries in the world have ratified and become members.

“We are here to engage with these (Arab) countries through direct dialogue and want to provide them with accurate information,” Abdallah said.

According to ICC counsel assistance unit head, Sam Sasan Shoamanesh, only Jordan, Comoros, and Djibouti have signed up to become members. Qatar, nor any other GCC country, are members yet.

The Hague-based ICC currently has 115 countries as signatories to the Rome Statute.

The ICC works different to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is part of the United Nations and was established in 1945. The ICJ settles disputes between member-states and individuals are not allowed to submit complaints to the ICJ.

The independent ICC, on the other hand, hears cases submitted by individuals making claims against another party in three areas of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes.

A fourth resolution, that of the ‘crime of aggression’ has recently been adopted but will not be effective until 2017, officials said.

Today, the ICC officials are expected to introduce the courts to the conference attendees and explain the path to the ICC as well as interest and involvement of Arab countries in the negotiations of the Rome Statute, followed by discussions on crimes falling under the ICC’s jurisdiction, and the role of the UN Security Council, member countries and the ICC’s prosecutor general in triggering the court’s jurisdiction.

“This remarkable conference was planned 10 months ago but we wanted to ensure presence of high-level officials and it was deemed to be postponed. Nothing has happened recently to justify this event being held now,” Abdallah said.

Photocaption: ICC officials briefing the media yesterday