New York/The Hague/Rome/Stockholm:
In a joint ceremony that took place today at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Italy and Sweden deposited their instruments of ratification of the Kampala Review Conference Amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the crime of aggression and war crimes. As a result of this development, 43 States out of the 123 States Parties to the ICC Statute are now bound by these amendments.
The imperative to put an end to impunity for the crime of aggression and war crimes are essential features of global affairs, as exemplified by the threatened war of aggression that is impending on the borders of Ukraine and by the repeated grave breaches of International Humanitarian Law (war crimes) occurring in contemporary armed conflicts in all regions of the world. On 21 January 2022, PGA President Ms. Kasthuri Patto, MP (Malaysia) and PGA’s International Law and Human Rights Program Convenor Sen. Boris Dittrich (The Netherlands) co-signed a letter addressed to the President of the Republic of Ukraine Zelenskyi urging urgent action towards Ukraine’s ratification of the Amended Rome Statute as well as the promulgation into law of the Bill incorporating international crimes in the national framework, which was adopted by Parliament with an overwhelming majority of MPs, including Members of the PGA Ukraine National Group, in May 2021
Italy’s and Sweden’s ratifications were strongly supported by the respective National Groups of PGA.
The Italian Group, chaired by Hon. Lia Quartapelle, coordinated action in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lower House, where PGA’s Secretary-General was invited to provide an expert-briefing on 2 March 2021, immediately followed by the Committee’s adoption of the ratification bill. The plenary of the Italian Chamber of Deputies passed the Bill into Law on 4 November 2021. Intervening at the margins of today’s election in Parliament of the Italian President of the Republic, Hon. Quartapelle stated:
The International Community must renew and increase its efforts in the prevention of atrocity crimes, starting with aggressive wars: This is the meaning of the Italian and Swedish ratification of the Kampala Amendments. The Rome Statute system can serve as powerful deterrent against irresponsible leaders who may believe that they may be unaccountable or above the law. War crimes and the crime of aggression shall have no place in the relations among law-abiding States.
The Italian Parliament took action since 2014 on the basis of the European Parliament’s resolution on the crime of aggression adopted on 17 July 2014 – International Justice Day – with a quasi-unanimous vote that received determined impulse from the PGA Group in the European Parliament. The Chair of the PGA EP Group, Mr. Fabio Massimo Castaldo MEP, underscored that
All the political party families that were present in the European Parliament in 2014 united their voice in support of the fight against impunity for the crime of aggression and other international crimes falling under the ICC jurisdiction. Today more than ever, the EU shall continue to be a leader in the fight against impunity for the most serious violations of International Law known to humankind. After today’s ratification by Italy and Sweden, all the EU Member States that have not yet done so should follow the path of joining the amendments to the Rome Statute.
The PGA Sweden National Group Members concurred with the unanimous decision of the Swedish Parliament to adopt the Kampala Amendments to the Rome Statute on 3 November 2021. The newly elected Board Member of PGA Ms. Ann-Sofie Alm, MP, stated:
Sweden’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals is characterized by our firm stand in support of democracy, human rights and the Rule of Law, which will never be achieved if justice for victims of the most serious international crimes will not be available. Therefore, we firmly support the ICC in The Hague as the centerpiece of the new system of international justice that can support a reinforced role of States in combating impunity through their participation in the Rome Statute and its Amendments.
The Chair of the PGA Sweden National Group, Mr. Anders Österberg, MP welcomed today’s development at the UN:
Parliamentarians have an important role to play in global affairs. First and foremost, as Legislators we can authorize our Government to enter into legally binding regimes that are strengthening – not weakening – our capacity as sovereign States to have an impact and bring about change in the lives of the peoples of the world. This is what Sweden has been doing when it joined today the Kampala Amendments to the Rome Statute, as well as when Sweden renewed its financial contributions to the Trust Fund for Victims of the ICC, to which we are the largest donor.
We firmly stand with the victims of the gravest crimes of international concern, and we shall ensure that there is an independent and impartial Court in The Hague that can serve as model and stimulus for the democratic Governments of the world.
The PGA Campaign for the Universality and Effectiveness of the System of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court has so far contributed to the national decision-processes of 78 States that ratified the Statute and will continue to increase its efforts for new States to join the Amended Rome Statute, as well as for States Parties to ratify all the amendments on the crime of aggression and war crimes.
