Report

Bringing the International Criminal Court to Countries of the Southern Caucasus

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Bringing the International Criminal Court to Countries of the Southern Caucasus Forum Report Download the full report. 52.06 Kb, PDF Download
Date
April 1, 2004

A workshop on the ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in the countries of the Southern Caucasus was organized by the Institute of European Law and the International Law of Human Rights at the State University of the Republic of Georgia, in cooperation with the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Open Society Assistance Foundations of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The meeting shared the experience of Georgia, which in 2003 ratified the Rome Statute and implemented it into national law, and gathered experts, officials, and potential lead organizations from Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The workshop took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, on February 29 and March 1, 2003. Professor Levan Alexidze of the Institute of European Law and International Law of Human Rights presided and provided an introductory discussion of the importance of the International Criminal Court as an integral element of the international legal order of the twenty-first century, while Irina Kurdadze of the institute presented some treaty law issues related to the primacy of the International Criminal Court.

The meeting then heard presentations from international experts on the main features of the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court, and in particular on the principle of "complementarity" (which ensures that states will have both the right and an incentive to prosecute crimes within their jurisdiction) and the system of cooperation (which presupposes effective implementation of the Rome Statute into national law). Constitutional and other legal issues that could arise in the process of ratification or implementation were also addressed. The delegations of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan gave detailed presentations of the present situation in their own countries regarding Rome Statute ratification and implementation, including a survey of relevant legal issues and approaches. Participants expressed great satisfaction with the meeting and look forward to working together in future.

The Justice Initiative is now working with the organizers and participants to consider ways of following up in each country. With informed and dedicated officials, academics and nongovernmental organizations present in each country, it is hoped that Armenia and Azerbaijan will soon join Georgia among the states parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

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