The Rome Statute

[Dawn Of Freestyle]

Most of you may know that Bush opposes joining the ICC:

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court:

PREAMBLE

The States Parties to this Statute,

Conscious that all peoples are united by common bonds, their cultures pieced together in a shared heritage, and concerned that this delicate mosaic may be shattered at any time,

Mindful that during this century millions of children, women and men have been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity,

Recognizing that such grave crimes threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world,

Affirming that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished and that their effective prosecution must be ensured by taking measures at the national level and by enhancing international cooperation,

Determined to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes,

Recalling that it is the duty of every State to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes,

Reaffirming the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular that all States shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations,

Emphasizing in this connection that nothing in this Statute shall be taken as authorizing any State Party to intervene in an armed conflict or in the internal affairs of any State,

Determined to these ends and for the sake of present and future generations, to establish an independent permanent International Criminal Court in relationship with the United Nations system, with jurisdiction over the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole,

Emphasizing that the International Criminal Court established under this Statute shall be complementary to national criminal jurisdictions,

Resolved to guarantee lasting respect for and the enforcement of international justice,

Have agreed as follows:

More at:
http://www.un.org/law/icc/statute/romefra.htm

It has been said that to achieve peace, there must first be justice.
May Peace Prevail on Earth

[HighDemonslayer]

The preamble alone provides much food for thought.

I am reading through the list of signatories, from the link provided. The list appears to have been updated in late Sept. 2004, so it is somewhat "fresh".



The list of countries which have have NOT ratified or implemented the statute.

Here are some of the nations where the statute is "meaningless":

China, wasn't on the list
Czech Republic
Egypt
Iran
Israel
Jamaica
Kenya
Kuwait
Mexico
Russian Federation
Sudan
Syrian Arab Republic
Thailand
Ukraine
United States of America
Zimbabwe




Some signatories have issued declarations and reservations, which appear to exempt their citizens from ever facing trial.

Australia is the only one I've read in detail so far. discretion of arrest or extradition lies solely with the Attorney General issing a certificate.


I'll add to this list later, to embarrass those citizens of nations that signed the treaty, and then wrote loopholes for themselves later.

-n

[HighDemonslayer]

Wow, France has left themselves many loopholes for war crimes.

Here's my summaries:


1. The "Court" does not preclude France's exercizing of inherent self-defense rights.



2. The Court will not regulate France's use of nuclear weapons.

6. France exempts themselves for any collateral civilian casualities while pursuing military objectives.

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III. Declaration under article 124:-

Pursuant to article 124 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court, the French Republic declares that it does not accept the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to the category of crimes referred to in article 8 when a crime is alleged to have been committed by its nationals or on its territory.
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III. France denies juristiction of the Statute on it's citizens for 7 years.




-n





These declarations can be found here:

http://www.un.org/law/icc/statute/romefra.htm ---under Ratification Status link