Yesterday, the 23rd session of the International Criminal Court’s Assembly of States Parties gathered at The Hague, under the shadow of international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his previous Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Prosecutor Karim Khan opened the session with a sombre speech saying we are currently witnessing a global pandemic of inhumanity especially when we look at Ukraine, Palestine and Darfur where the ICC is trying to fulfill the mandate of the Rome Statute. The Prosecutor added that current conflicts are accelerating towards disaster and that the value of life is being diminished. He referred to his current investigation about crimes committed against Rohingya refugees, and his investigations in Libya about the crimes of the the Libyan Al Kaniyat militia which massacred civilians in Tarhunah.
Among the ongoing cases in court that the Prosecutor is working on are those of Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona. The Prosecutor also announced that there will soon be arrest warrants announced with regard to Afghanistan and Sudan. He also added that the ICC’s investigation in Venezuela is ongoing.
Concluding the Prosecutor appealed for international cooperation in executing arrest warrants. European states, that are also members of the Rome Statute, have so far refused to cooperate with the ICC over implementing the ICC’s arrest warrant against the Israeli Prime Minister and his previous ex-Defense Minister. The ICC currently has 30 standing arrest warrants that yet need to be executed.
The 23rd session of the International Criminal Court’s Assembly of States Parties is set to conclude on Friday.
You can read the full speech of the Prosecutor here.
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