30 April 2020
Australian human rights organisations have written to the Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Attorney-General, urging the Australian government to publicly condemn the attacks against the International Criminal Court (ICC) by United States and Israeli officials.
The letter refers to a global call from civil society organisations calling States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC to uphold their support for the Court particularly in the face of hostilities made against the Court in recent weeks.
The letter refers to the announcement on March 17 2020, by U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo who threatened to impose punitive measures against two named senior ICC staffers, other ICC staffers, and their families. His remarks came after the ICC authorised an investigation into the situation in Afghanistan.
The letter also refers to the statement made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 20 January 2020 who called for “sanctions against the international court, its officials, its prosecutors, everyone.” This statement came one month after the ICC Prosecutor announced that the situation in Palestine merits investigation.
The letter states that “These are among the latest in a series of attacks that undermine the Court itself and intimidate its staff in order to protect political interests at the expense of international justice.”
The letter further states that “This combination of threats and the U.S. visa ban policy seeks to undermine the Court’s ability to deliver justice to victims whenever States are unwilling or unable to genuinely investigate and prosecute crimes under the Rome Statute.”
ENDS
Read our letter to the Australian Government here.
Read the Joint Letter by NGOs to ICC States Parties or download it here.
For media enquiries contact Rawan Arraf on 0450 708 870.
Image Credit: ©ICC-CPI
