Chicago Tribune

January 13, 2001

THE NEED FOR A WORLD COURT

by Nancy J. Bothne

(Midwest regional director Amnesty International USA)

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Tribune's Jan. 3 editorial on the establishment of a permanent international criminal court ("War crimes court puts U.S. at risk") puts its readers at risk of misinformation, distortion and ignorance. The Chicago Tribune's opposition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) misleadingly cloaks itself in the uniform of protection for U.S. soldiers, while ignoring the reality that in most cases, victims of the most egregious human rights violations have nowhere to turn to for justice, except to an international criminal court.

The Tribune dares to depict the United States as a victim of world politics at the expense of the true victims--those who have endured the worst crimes known to humanity without justice because of a global climate of impunity.

The U.S. has been active in shaping the ICC into a respectable and fair court of law. The ICC will prosecute genocide, other crimes against humanity and war crimes, rather than isolated or minor offenses committed during a peacekeeping operation. It will enable the U.S. to advocate for prosecution of those responsible for heinous acts, and to see that they are prosecuted in a neutral forum. Due process and fair prosecutions will be ensured by the procedural safeguards agreed to by the U.S.

U.S. soldiers are now subject to prosecution in other countries for violations of their laws. Prosecution under the jurisdiction of the ICC will be preferable to trial in some foreign courts, which may not respect due process or human rights. Furthermore, the crimes covered by the court's jurisdiction are illegal under U.S. military code, and should they occur, would presumably be investigated by the United States government.

A permanent International Criminal Court ensures that victims of grave abuses, who face an ineffectual national judicial system or no judicial system at all, have a place to go to seek justice. If we believe in the rule of law, war crimes such as those committed in Nazi Germany and in Cambodia, Iraq, Sierra Leone and East Timor, to name but a few, must never be allowed to happen again without investigation and prosecution.

The United States has consistently held itself exempt from international human-rights standards. The Senate must now ratify the International Criminal Court treaty and at least ensure that a court of justice will seek accountability for those who have suffered the worst crimes that can occur against human rights.