International court protects human rights
Ken Seifert
junior
Today, the world is a little bit safer. After years of campaigning and hard work, the unprecedented International Criminal Court (ICC) is now a reality. Despite the United States' persistent opposition to the ICC, over 60 countries have officially ratified the treaty, including Great Britain; this number continues to grow literally ever hour. Hundreds of staff members at the New York-based Human Rights Watch celebrated on Thursday as cheers from other branch offices around the world as well as the United Nations could be heard.
The ICC, sanctioned with the legal mandate to prosecute human rights abuses worldwide, may undertake cases against world leaders, army officers and anyone thought to be responsible for crimes against humanity and war related crimes. These crimes range from rape to genocide. The court, based in the Hague, will officially come into existence on July 1, 2002, marking a monumental day in human history. Not since the creation of the United Nations has the world seen such a powerful, permanent global body designed to protect human rights abuses, and it could not come at a more appropriate time.
"There's been so little holding to account on so many horrific offenses and crimes committed around the world — in Cambodia, Iraq, Chechnya," said Richard Dicker, international criminal justice director for Human Rights Watch. "This changes all that."
With most of the industrialized world supporting the treaty, the United States must ratify the ICC to preserve its role as a global leader in the fight to protect human rights. Rather than reconsidering the actual signing of the treaty, Congress must approve immediate ratification, forcing United States military practices to face the same scrutiny as other world militaries.
The world has changed forever and a new chapter in the fight to protect human rights has begun.
Ken Seifert
junior
intern in New York City
April 11, 2002
All Viewpoint Stories for Friday, April 12, 2002
