On 19 April 2017, PGA Members Dip. Jorge Cálix and Dip. Oswaldo Ramos Soto informed the Secretariat of PGA that the Plenary of the Honduran Congress unanimously approved the inclusion of the crime of aggression in the new Criminal Code. This most welcomed development took place shortly after the Special Commission tasked with reviewing the Code approved the inclusion of the crime of aggression, hence furthering the implementation of the Rome Statute, in furtherance of the country’s commitment to the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern.

[Quote from the PGA Members in Honduras:

The ruling of the Special Commission was transmitted to the plenary of the National Congress, and all Deputies unanimously approved the inclusion of the crime of aggression as a new punishable offense in our Criminal Law.

With the inclusion of this offense in our criminal law, Honduras advances on one of the commitments made ratifying the Rome Statute, to adapt its domestic legislation to the provisions of the Statute. It also represents an important progress in international criminal law, since the crime of aggression had never been considered a crime under our domestic law. We will continue to work to align our legislation with the Rome Statute in the key areas of cooperation and complementarity

Dip. Cálix, who is also a member of the Special Commission, is playing a leadership role to secure the full implementation of the Rome Statute of the ICC in the domestic legal order of Honduras, following his participation in a PGA Sub-Regional Parliamentary Seminar on the International Criminal Court (ICC), held every year in Montevideo since 2002. Dip. Ramos also pledged to advance the discussion on the amendments to the Criminal Code, regarding which the PGA Secretariat has delivered technical assistance, as well as liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the ratification of the Kampala Amendments.

Additionally, PGA Members in Honduras are pushing for the inclusion of the Draft Cooperation Law that establishes procedures to effectively cooperate with the ICC: the draft was tabled by Dip. Cálix, and is to be put on the agenda of the Plenary. On 16 November 2016, this draft legislation already received approval by the Constitutional Committee, presided by Dip. Ramos Soto, a prominent PGA Member.

PGA commends the work of Parliamentarians in Honduras, who are upholding their commitment to a Rules Based International Order and incorporate international standards to reform Honduran domestic law. Their leadership action is designed to set up national mechanisms to cooperate with the ICC and to strengthen international justice as well as their own domestic legal framework.

For more information, please contact:

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