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Action Kit from Earth Action
to make a difference.
In our time, the world has seen some of the most horrific mass crimes in history. Yet most of the criminals walk free. In 1946, the defeated war criminals of World War II were tried for their crimes at historic tribunals in Nuremberg and Tokyo. The international community determined that war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and military aggression should never again go unpunished. They talked of setting up a permanent international court to address such horrors and help prevent them in the future. But nothing was done. As a result, military and political leaders responsible for the deaths of millions-such as Saddam Hussein and Pol Pot-never had to fear prosecution for their crimes. Right now, a process is going on at the UN which will, finally, make an International Criminal Court a reality by the end of the century. You can help make sure that an effective, independent Court is set up. If this happens, it will transform the prospects for human rights in the years to come. For the first time ever, leaders who want to commit mass murder will face the prospect of arrest and trial. By 1994, the international community, spurred on by the atrocities in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, finally agreed that a permanent International Criminal Court was needed. In June 1998, the world's governments are scheduled to meet in Rome to adopt a treaty which, once signed and ratified, will finally establish the Court. But this is not as simple as it sounds. Between now and June 1998, a series of high-level meetings will take place to decide exactly what powers the Court should have. Many governments are doing their best to cripple the Court before it is even born.
Three issues crucial to the Court's success are: CRIMES INDEPENDENCE "TRIGGER MECHANISMS"
On 4-15 August, the latest of a series of international meetings were held to determine the working of the Court. Another meeting takes place in December. Now is a crucial time to make your voice heard. Please write to one or more of your representatives in your national parliament/congress. Ask him or her to urge your government to support, at the preparatory meetings leading up to June 1998, the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court which will: * Have the jurisdiction to try individuals for the most serious international crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. * Be a genuinely independent body, with its prosecutor able to investigate all cases free from political pressure. * Allow cases to be brought by governments, individuals and non-governmental organisations-as well as the Court's prosecutor.
Sample Letter to Member of Parliment or Congress
Dear _____________,
Right now, a process is going on to establish a permanent International Criminal Court. This could be the most significant development for human rights that the world has seen for half a century. I am writing to you because I want our government to play its part in ensuring that a genuinely independent and effective Court is set up which can really make a difference. The principle that individuals responsible for mass crimes against humanity should be tried for their crimes was established at the Nuremberg tribunal after World War II. But since then, many such horrific crimes have been committed all over the world, and the criminals have usually walked free. It is crucial that a genuinely effective Court is set up, able to prosecute such people. As you may know, an intergovernmental conference is scheduled to be held in June 1998 where governments will adopt a treaty which, once signed and ratified, will establish the Court. Between now and then, a series of preparatory committee meetings are being held-the next one begins on 4 August this year, and there is a further meeting in December-to establish what powers the Court should have. I urge you to press the government, in any way you can, to work at these meetings for the establishment of a Court which will: * Have the jurisdiction to try individuals for the most serious international crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. * Be a genuinely independent body, with its prosecutor able to investigate all cases free from political pressure. * Allow cases to be brought by governments, individuals and non-governmental organisations-as well as the Court's prosecutor. This is a vital issue which will have lasting effects on lives and human rights into the next century. I hope you can find time to act on this important issue. Please let me know what response you get from the government.
Yours sincerely, ______________
Background Information on the International Criminal Court Finally, the world stands poised to take a major step toward closing a glaring gap in the international legal order. Fifty years after the Nuremberg and Tokyo war tribunals condemned aggression, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, all nations now seem agreed that a permanent international criminal tribunal should be created soon. A treaty laying the foundation for such a tribunal is expected to be adopted at an intergovernmental conference in Rome in June 1998. But success is by no means assured. How far have we come, and what are the problems?
Slow Progress In 1991, violent ethnic fighting erupted in the former Yugoslavia. Reports of mass rapes and horrendous brutalities shocked people all over the world. Public outrage stimulated the UN Security Council, acting within its peace-keeping authority, to move quickly. Recognizing that there could be no peace without justice, the Council set up its own subsidiary organ to try the criminals-the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). By 1994, despite great difficulties of financing and organization, the ICTY, with outstanding multi-national prosecutors and judges, began its work. It was the first truly international criminal court since Nuremberg. Later, in 1994, when Rwanda was racked by genocide, the UN Security Council quickly created its second criminal court-The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Despite enormous problems faced by these two new judicial organs, they were important steps forward in the development of international law and order. But both these tribunals had restricted jurisdiction to try certain crimes committed in a specified territory during a limited time. If a permanent court had already existed, these ad hoc innovations would not have been necessary, and the perpetrators of those crimes would have known in advance that they would be subject to prosecution. All states now seem to recognize that what is needed is a permanent institution created under international control to administer justice equally to all.
The Negotiating Process The current plan is to adopt the statutes for a permanent International Criminal Court in the form of a treaty that each state can decide to accept or reject. Nations have not yet agreed on which crimes shall fall within the jurisdiction of the new tribunal. Almost all favour limiting the Court's jurisdiction at the outset to a few core crimes, such as those approved at Nuremberg: aggressive war, crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.
The Obstacles On top of this controversy, a considerable number of procedural differences have not yet been reconciled. One troubling question is whether the International Criminal Court will have priority over the courts of a nation state in trying the accused. It seems generally agreed that national states have primacy. If a state is able and willing to prosecute-in a fair and reasonable way-no international intervention is necessary. But since aggression, genocide, and crimes against humanity are usually committed with the consent or complicity of a national government, the presence and primary power of an international tribunal is essential if world society is to be effectively protected. There should be very few restraints on who can bring charges, providing there are adequate judicial safeguards against frivolous or politically-motivated complaints. One major way governments are attempting to weaken the Court is by surrounding it with national vetoes. This could mean allowing the Security Council to prevent an issue coming before the Court, or requring that the Court gain the permission of the national government where the crime was committed before it can investigate the crime. Clearly, this would profoundly weaken the Court. Enforcement also remains a fundamental problem. The tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda have been severely handicapped by their inabilitto apprehend wanted criminals and to obtain complete cooperation from all states concerned. Failure to arrest the suspects makes a mockery of the judicial process. This failure must be corrected, possibly by an international force of marshalls empowered to arrest those indicted by the Court. If there is no enforcement, the Court's effectiveness will suffer. During the remaining months before the diplomatic conference is to take place, these and many other points will continue to be debated and compromises sought. The search for consensus, both necessary and desirable, should not be stretched till it becomes a fatal trap. What is being proposed is a newborn infant trying to walk toward a more humane and peaceful world. It may stumble and fall along the way. But it must be helped to succeed.
For more information, contact: NGO Coalition for an International Criminal
Court Amnesty International Human Rights Watch Constitutional Rights
Project Benjamin Ferencz Any of the EarthAction offices (listed on the EarthAction Home Page) would be pleased to provide you with additional information and contacts.
Sample Press Release for Your Organisation --- For Immediate Release --- Campaigners Call for Independent International Court "The biggest opportunity for human rights in fifty years," says NGO network An international network of campaigning organisations today launched a worldwide initiative to "seize the moment, and help ensure the creation of an effective, independent International Criminal Court, to prevent the horrific mass crimes of this century ever being repeated again." EarthAction, the organisation coordinating the campaign, is focusing on a process that is going on now at the international level, but which they say is in danger of faltering and is largely being ignored by the media and the public. In June 1998, governments are scheduled to meet to adopt a treaty, which once signed and ratified, will establish an International Criminal Court, an institution which has been under discussion almost since the end of World War II. The Court's purpose will be to try individuals accused of crimes against humanity. If such a court had been in existence over the last few decades, it is possible that the likes of Idi Amin, Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein would have been arrested and tried for their crimes. But EarthAction says there is a danger that the Court's establishment could be sabotaged by some governments who are reluctant to see the creation of an international body powerful enough to prevent them from committing crimes against their own people. "Some governments are trying to cripple the Court before it is even born," says Lois Barber of EarthAction's Amherst office. "This is such a vital moment for the future of all our human rights. It is important that those who want to weaken the Court are not allowed to succeed." Between now and June 1998, when governments are scheduled to meet to finalize a draft of the treaty, a series of high-level meetings attended by government representatives are being held to thrash out the details of the Court's powers. The EarthAction campaigners are calling on all governments to support the adoption of measures at these meetings that will ensure the Court's effectiveness. They want to see a Court independent of the UN Security Council, and not susceptible to political pressure from national governments. They are calling for an independent prosecutor, able to investigate any case brought to him or her by any government, individual or non-governmental organisation. And they want to see the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression all covered by the Court's jurisdiction. "These key isues must be resolved," says Nick Dunlop of EarthAction's London office. "If they are, there is a real chance that the next century could see a safer, and more just world." For more information contact Lois Barber at the Amherst office or Nick Dunlop at the London office listed below. For further information, contact: (name of spokesperson for your organization)
EarthAction EarthAction is committed to help members of many
different groups to act together on issues of common
concern. It was launched at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992
and has, since then, grown to include more than 1,500
partner organizations in 144 countries. Its many important
ALERTs are available on the internet at: TFF adviser Robert C. Johansen is a member of EarthAction's Steering Committee
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