The visit by Guillaume Soro to the ASP must not interfere with the impartiality of the Court and its Prosecutor

15/12/2011
Press release
en fr

FIDH and its members organizations in Ivory Coast, Ligue ivoirienne des droits de l’Homme (LIDHO) and Mouvement ivoirien des droits humains (MIDH), respond to today’s arrival and address by Mr. Guillaume Soro, Prime Minister and Head of the government of the Ivory Coast, to the Assembly of States Parties.

Our organizations consider that while the attention given by the Ivory Coast to the ICC’s activities may be legitimate, Mr. Soro’s visit must not interfere in any way with the ongoing investigations of the International Criminal Court.

As any high-level political official, and particularly as head of the Forces nouvelles (FN) since 2002, Mr. Guillaume Soro may be held accountable for his individual responsibility and role as a superior in certain events that fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC.

In his statement, Mr. Soro underlined the commitment of the Ivory Coast to soon ratify the Statute of the ICC, once Ivory Coast’s national assembly is formed. This ratification should strengthen the cooperation between the Ivory Coast and the ICC.

The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC must continue its investigation in the Ivory Coast with the aim of prosecuting those most responsible from all parties of the conflict who may have committed crimes under the jurisdiction of the ICC.

We call on States Parties to remain attentive in order to effectively contribute to the efforts towards justice in the Ivory Coast and to cooperate with the ICC.

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