New York/ The Hague, January 2017

On 19 January 2017, the Secretariat of Parliamentarians for Global (PGA) was informed by the President of the Parliamentary Commission on Security and Drug Trafficking of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, Dip. Ronny Monge, PGA Board Member that the draft legislation n° 19.665 on cooperation and relation with the ICC has been approved by the Members of his Commission. Draft legislation n° 19.665 creates specific mechanisms to cooperate with the Court in the domestic legal order for more efficiency and legibility of the Law in the paramount exercise of carrying out justice to victims of international crimes.

This welcomed development is the result of relentless advocacy and capacity building of PGA Members in Costa Rica with their parliamentary colleagues at home and in the Latin American region. The country’s unwavering commitment to fight against impunity for international crimes by strengthening the domestic Rule of Law through the complete implementation of the Rome Statute of the ICC has been illustrated on many occasions, inter alia the introduction to the floor of Parliament by Dip. Monge on 6 December 2016, bill n°4573 which amends the Criminal Code of Costa Rica in order to implement the crimes included in the Rome Statute as well as the Kampala Amendments.

The presidency of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica has presented signs that the full implementation of the Rome Statute as well as cooperation with the ICC was a priority. On 4 November 2016, Dip. Antonio Alvarez Desanti, former President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica had informed PGA that he would consult his office in order to include bill n°4573 on the implementation of the crimes under the Rome Statute in the Agenda of the Plenary. President Desanti stressed the necessity of the Rome Statute system as a tool to prevent and prosecute atrocities that are still ongoing reiterated Costa Rica’s commitment to the promotion of international justice.

PGA has been following up closely with the members of its National Group in Costa Rica to hold them accountable to the commitments expressed on 28-29 September 2016 at the Sub-Regional Parliamentary Seminar on the ICC: Legislators from Latin America commit to the principle of Never again and Reparation for Victims, in Uruguay and previously on 10 July 2015 at the Special Session on the Ratification and Implementation of the Rome Statute in Costa Rica, to fully implement the Rome Statute and establish cooperation mechanism with the ICC, in compliance with the principle of complementarity.

Since the approval of draft legislation n° 19.665 on cooperation and relation with the ICC by the Security and Drug Trafficking Commission, PGA members have been actively liaising with the Executive so that the draft law may be presented as it stands as one of the legislative priorities, during this extraordinary session that takes place during five months in the legislative calendar and during which, only the Executive can introduce pieces of legislation to the Plenary’s agenda. The cooperation draft law is currently being processed before the Plenary.

The adoption by the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica of draft bill n° 19.665 would grant the country one more tool to add to the arsenal in strengthening the legal protections afforded to its population and territory and contribute to the prevention of the most serious human rights violations that have marred the world’s history.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Melissa Verpile, Program Officer at Melissa.verpile@pgaction.org