Coalition for ICC urges Nepal govt to accede to Rome Statute

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) has in a letter to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala urged the Government of Nepal to accede to the Rome Statute, which is the ICC's founding treaty.

Saying that its letter welcomed the unanimous endorsement of a "commitment resolution" passed by the dissolved House of Representatives on acceding to the Rome Statute in July 2006, the CICC noted that no progress has been achieved towards endorsing the Rome Statute since then.

104 countries have already joined the ICC, which is the first permanent international court capable of trying individuals accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. The CICC is an international network of more than 2,000 non-governmental organisations advocating for a fair, effective and independent court.

The Coalition and its partner organisations Forum Asia and INSEC had jointly organised a mission to Kathmandu in August 2006, meeting with key political leaders who said the government was committed to joining the ICC.

"How much longer do the people of Nepal have to wait for their government to join the global chorus of support for the ICC?" Evelyn Balais Serrano, Asia/Pacific regional coordinator for the CICC asked in a statement, adding, "Nepal could be a leader in Asia, a force for peace and justice by becoming a state party to the ICC immediately. We welcome the government's past support for the Court, but the time has come to act on those good intentions."

Currently, only six Asian countries-Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Timor-Leste, and Tajikistan- are state parties to the ICC. In contrast, the majority of states in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean have joined the Court.

"Asia is vastly under-represented at the ICC," Serrano said, "Nepal's accession to the Rome Statute could energise support for the Court in a region where acceptance of the Court as a permanent, hopeful reality has been inexcusably slow."

"Nepal's accession would send a signal to the international community of their determination to end impunity and strengthen the rule of law," said William R. Pace, Convener of the Coalition. nepalnews.com mk Feb 15 07