ICC must be allowed to work ‘without intimidation’, say 93 members
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A diplomatic source familiar with the effort says the revelations about Israeli intelligence actions against the court had been "really eye-opening for a lot of diplomats."
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Exterior view of the headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Jan. 12, 2016 (AP)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) must be allowed to conduct its work "without intimidation", stressed a joint statement issued late Friday by 93 states aimed at reinforcing support for the judicial body, The Guardian reported.
The large group of ICC member states pledged to defend the institution and "preserve its integrity from any political interference and pressure against the court, its officials and those cooperating with it."
The move comes after revelations by The Guardian exposed efforts by "Israel" and its spy agencies to undermine, influence, and intimidate the ICC as part of a nine-year campaign of surveillance and espionage.
The statement also comes following recent warnings from the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who confirmed that the court has faced "several forms of threats" and hostile intelligence activities intended to interfere with and improperly influence his work.
Khan said last month that he was seeking arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammad Deif, prompting fierce responses from "Israel" and its allies.
The statement of support for the ICC was drafted by five member states – Belgium, Chile, Jordan, Senegal, and Slovenia – and was presented to the rest of the court’s state parties last week for endorsement.
The Guardian cited a diplomatic source familiar with the effort as saying that the revelations about Israeli intelligence actions against the court had been "really eye-opening for a lot of diplomats" and "made some realise that it’s time to put out some sort of statement from the states that belong to the court responding to what has now come to light."
The source noted that the statement was also a reaction to other recent hostile activities against the ICC, including a cyber-attack last year.
"The court is going after some very powerful people, not just in the Palestine investigation, and it’s time to send a message that the state parties are there to defend it," the source was quoted as saying.
Observers noted the significance of major Western powers such as Germany, France, Canada, and the UK supporting the statement, which called on "all states to ensure full cooperation with the court for it to carry out its important mandate."
They also highlighted the large number of endorsing states – 93 out of the ICC's 124 members – and pointed out that previous statements in support of the court had not gained as much backing. Other signatories included Australia, South Africa, Spain, Brazil, and Japan.
"This is a unique moment of international solidarity, with 93 ICC states parties standing up for global justice and accountability for mass atrocities," indicated Danya Chaikel, the International Federation for Human Rights’s representative to the ICC.
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