| New York,
September 12, 2003
The Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court (ICC) this morning elected a high-profile Board
of Directors to the Victims Trust Fund of the International
Criminal Court.
The FIDH welcomes the election of five eminent personalities
to this revolutionary fund which will help victims of genocide,
crimes against humanity and war crimes to heal and rebuilt their
lives.
This election is a pivotal step in enhancing the overall capacity
of the ICC to meet its commitment to victim’s of the world’s
worst crimes.
The members of the Board, who represent the five UN regional
groups, are :
- Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan
- His Excellency Mr. President Oscar Arias Sánchez, former
President of Costa Rica
- His Excellency Mr. Tadeusz Mazowiecki, former Prime Minister
of Poland.
- Madame Simone Veil, former Minister of Health of France and
former President of the European Parliament
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Chairman of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission of South Africa
The ICC recognizes the role of victims by enabling victims
and their families to apply for compensation for the crimes
defined in the Rome Statute.
The ICC seeks to ensure justice for victims not only through
criminal trials but by helping them through the Trust Fund to
deal with the physical and psychological suffering arising from
their crimes. It’s success is dependent on donation from
individuals, government or organisations.
Victims’ participation in the ICC is amplified by the
historically unprecedented ability of victims groups and civil
society actors to submit communications directly to the Office
of the Prosecutor for review. The ICC prosecutor may initiate
a proprio motu investigation based on these communications.
The FIDH welcomes the statement made at the opening plenary
of the Assembly of States Parties meeting this week, by Prosecutor
Moreno-Ocampo indicated that he was ready to use this proprio
motu power to seek authorization from a Pre-Trial chamber of
judges to commence an investigation of alleged crimes committed
in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports
by UN agencies and communications received by the Office of
the Prosecutor from civil society groups indicate that at least
5,000 people have been killed there since the Rome Statute’s
July 1, 2002 entry into force.
The Assembly of States Parties also elected a Deputy Prosecutor
for Investigations, Mr. Serge Brammertz of Belgium. He will
undertake a solemn oath on November 3, 2003 and begin a six-year
term of office at the court’s headquarters in The Hague.
Press contacts:
- FIDH Press Office +33 1 43 55 25 18
- Jeanne SULZER, FIDH International Justice program Officer
(in New York) +33 6 12 18 06 41
A brief and unofficial biography of each of the members
of the Board
Former Costa Rican President, Dr. Oscar Arias Sánchez,
won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the cycle
of violence in Central America. Dr. Arias Sánchez earned
a doctorate in political science at the University of Essex
and, following the adoption of what is widely regarded as
the “Arias Peace Plan,” earned some fifty honorary
doctorate degrees. He is the author of several books about
peace and politics, and founded the Foundation for Peace and
Human Progress with the monetary award from the Nobel Prize.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa gained international
prominence in 1984 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
for his work toward “a democratic and just society without
racial divisions.” He continued his work to facilitate
South Africa’s transition from Apartheid as Chairman
of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He holds numerous
honorary doctorates at leading universities in the United
States, Britain and Germany.
Former Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki was the
first post-Communist leader in Eastern Europe. He subsequently
served as a UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human
Rights in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia. Following
the massacres of Srebrenica and Zepa, territories designated
as “safe havens,” Mr. Mazowiecki resigned from
that post. He has held numerous positions within the government
of Poland, co-founding the Social Democratic Party of the
Republic of Poland, and serving in the Polish parliament,
Ministry for Labor and Social Policy and Ministry for Internal
Affairs and Administration.
Her Majesty Queen Rania is a human rights campaigner and
the wife of His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan.
Following the births of their three children, Her Majesty
Queen Rania launched numerous initiatives to further access
to education, technology and micro-credit financing in Jordan.
Among other projects, she has also launched the Child Abuse
Prevention Project to protect children at risk of abuse and
modify public attitudes towards violence against children.
Madame Simone Veil, a survivor of Nazi concentration camps
at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, rose to prominence through
positions with the French Ministry of Justice and as Minister
of Health. She is widely recognized as a campaigner for women’s
and children’s rights. She was elected the first president
of the European Parliament in 1984, and also served as the
President of the Judicial Group for the European Parliament.
She holds numerous honorary degrees and decorations for her
work.
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