Rome - Brussels, XX August 1999
Dear colleague,
The international events of the last months, namely the indictment of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for crimes against humanity and its influence in stopping the tragedy under way in Kosova, have once more demonstrated the extreme importance and urgency of the establishment of an effective international criminal jurisdiction.
Since the beginning of the 1990s we have been active and have played a prominent role in the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and in promoting the establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC) with jurisdiction over the most heinous crimes. We believe that the international community must put an end to impunity whenever and wherever crimes against humanity are committed; this can only be done through an independent body to implement the rule of law and an effective system of justice.
With the outcome of the Rome Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries - where on 17 July 1998, 120 United Nations Member States approved the Statute of the ICC - an extraordinary step in the direction of a fair system of international justice has been made. For the first time in the history of humanity, there are concrete possibilities for the creation of a permanent International Criminal Court able to prosecute individuals responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Over a year has passed since that historic day, a year that has seen 83 States sign the Rome Treaty on the Court, while only 4, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, San Marino and Italy, have ratified it. As you probably know, the number of necessary ratification for the entry into force of the Court is 60.
We are contacting you today, as well as dozens of colleagues members of the Parliaments of the democratic Countries of the world, to request your participation as a member of a legislative assembly through your personal and direct involvement. We believe that your role could be instrumental to expedite the process of the ratification of the Rome Treaty in your country.
If, through your engagement, as well as through the one of other colleagues of ours in several Parliaments, we could further increase the number of parliamentarians directly involved, we could progressively achieve the creation of an effective universal network of parliamentarians engaged on the front of international justice.
In case you are interested in this issue and in participating in this network, we are pleased to ask you to fill the attached form and to fax it to: +32.2.230.36.70 or 284.91.98 or to email it to: pr.bruxelles@radicalparty.org.
From our part, we will of course keep you informed on all the developments of the campaign for the ratification of the Statute and for the prompt coming into operation of the Permanent International Criminal Court.
Hoping to count on your endorsement of this project and looking forward to your convinced and decisive contribution in this battle for the rule of law and international justice, we wish you all our best.
Sincerely,
Sergio StanzaniOlivier Dupuis
SenatorMember of European Parliament
President ofSecretary of
No Peace Without JusticeTransnational Radical Party
Danilo QuintoGianfranco Dell'Alba
Treasurer ofMember of European Parliament
Transnational Radical PartySecretary of
No Peace Without Justice
Enclosed please find:
- the list of Countries signatories of the ICC Treaty.
- the ratification bill approved by the Italian Parliament.
Adhesion form to the international network of parliamentarians for the ratification of the Statute of the International Criminal Court
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