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The Electronic Newsletter
of the Women's Caucus for Gender Justice
December 2002
Volume III / Issue 4
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Dear friends and colleagues,
It has been an eventful year for those involved in the establishment of the
International Criminal Court (ICC). In April, the 60th ratifications were
deposited which paved the way for the Rome Statute's entry into force on 1 July
2002. Following the statute's entry into force, the first meeting of the ICC
Assembly of States Parties was held from 3-9 September 2002 at which time the
nomination period for judges and prosecutor was opened. Already the nomination
period for the election of the first judges for the court has come to a close
and the elections will be held from 3-7 February 2003 at UN Headquarters in New
York. In the meantime, a Director of Common Services was selected to help set up
the infrastructure of the Court in the Hague.
Bit by bit, the pieces of a permanent system of international justice are being
put in place but this is not without its obstacles and challenges. As powerful
forces in the world intensify their efforts to subvert the establishment of a
fair and effective system of international justice and threaten a heightened
state of militarism and war-making, we must be encouraged that the treks toward
social justice and the rule of just law have not been impeded but are growing,
intersecting and creating new avenues for change.
In this issue of ICCWomen News, we will provide an update of events related to
the establishment of the International Criminal Court, network news and
international legal developments. If you would like to submit items to be
included in future newsletters, please send them to caucus@iccwomen.org.
We would also like to inform you that we have relocated to a new office. Our new
contact information is as follows: Women's Caucus for Gender Justice, 121 W.
27th Street, Room 302, New York, NY 10001, USA, Tel. (212) 675-7648, Fax (212)
675-7826. Please continue sending correspondence by regular mail to our post
office box: P.O. Box 3541 Grand Central Post Office, New York, New York 10163
USA.
In solidarity,
Women's Caucus for Gender Justice
NY Office
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ICC UPDATE
-First Assembly of States Parties Meeting
-Nomination and Election of Judges and Prosecutor
NETWORK NEWS
-International Initiative for Justice for Gujarat
-Gender and ICC Project Launched in Romania
-Seminar for Women Judges
-Second Anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325
-Women and Peacebuilding Conference
-Gender Justice and the International Criminal Court - Brazil
INTERNATIONAL LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
-Cambodia Tribunal Talks to Begin Again
-First Woman Defendant Sentenced at ICTY
-War Reporters Given Protection from Subpoena
-SC Approves Nominees for ICTR
-Migrant Convention to Enter into Force
-Conviction in Murder of Myrna Mack
CALENDAR
ANNEX
-Ratifications
-List of Candidates for Judge
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ICC UPDATE
-First Meeting of the ICC Assembly of States Parties
The historic first meeting of the ICC Assembly of States Parties (ASP) was
convened from 3-9 September 2002. The Women's Caucus was present at the ASP
meeting with a delegation of women from Afghanistan, Colombia, India, Jordan,
Lebanon, Nigeria, Peru, Romania, Senegal and the United States.
For the most part the agenda of the meeting consisted of reviewing and adopting
draft texts, such as the Elements of Crimes Annex and the Rules of Procedure and
Evidence which had been adopted by the Preparatory Commission. Other such
documents included the Relationship Agreement between the ICC and the United
Nations, the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of ICC Personnel, the
First-Year Budget and Rules of Procedure for the ASP.
Because delegates were not able to reach agreement on the rules governing
elections at the 10th Session of the Preparatory Commission, the ASP was
required to continue substantive negotiations on these rules at its first
meeting. The President of the ASP appointed a coordinator for the discussions
and the working group was convened. While the negotiations were still difficult,
they ultimately yielded rules which manage to take into account the Statute's
mandates concerning a fair representation of women and men, equitable
geographical distribution and representation of the principle legal systems of
the world.
The delegates agreed to a voting scheme which requires them to vote for the
following minimum numbers of candidates from each category:
Expertise:
- 13 candidates from List A (list of those with criminal law expertise)
- 5 candidates from List B (list of those with international legal expertise)
Region:
- 3 candidates from Western Europe and Others (New Zealand, Australia,
Canada)
- 3 candidates from Africa
- 3 candidates from Latin American and the Caribbean
- 2 candidates from Asia
- 2 candidates from Eastern Europe
Gender:
- 6 women
- 6 men
These 'minimum voting requirements' must be adhered to without abstention in the
first four rounds of voting - otherwise the ballot will be invalidated. If all
18 judges are not elected in four rounds, however, the minimum voting
requirements are discontinued and there is an open vote. (To view the rules
relating to the nomination and election of judges, prosecutor and deputy
prosecutors, go to: http://www.un.org/law/icc/elections/judges/judges_nominations.htm.
For a report of the Assembly of States Parties meeting containing the finalized
texts as adopted by the ASP, go to: http://www.un.org/law/icc/asp/aspfra.htm.
See also the website of the Women's Caucus for Gender Justice: www.iccwomen.org)
On 9 September 2002, the President of the Bureau of the ASP, Prince Zeid Ra'ad
Zeid al-Hussein declared the nomination period for judges and prosecutor opened
and urged states to avoid the practice of "reciprocal agreements" or
vote-trading in this election.
-Nomination and Election of Judges and Prosecutor
The nomination period for judges and prosecutor was held from 9 September - 30
November 2002. At the end of the nomination period there were 45 candidates of
which 10 are women. (On 13 December, the government of Paraguay withdrew the
nomination of its candidate leaving a total of 44 candidates.) The number of
female candidates represents an improvement over the nomination process for
other international tribunals. A recent example is that out of 23 nominations
for ad litem posts for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR),
only three of the candidates are women. (See story below.)
The women candidates for the ICC include: Maureen Harding Clark (Ireland);
Fatoumata Dembele Diarra (Mali); Hajnalka Karpati (Hungary); Akua Kuenyehia
(Ghana); Elizabeth Odio Benito (Costa Rica); Barbara Ott (Switzerland);
Navanethem Pillay (South Africa); Sylvia H. Steiner (Brazil); Anita Usacka
(Latvia); and Eleonora Zielinska (Poland).
The nomination of 10 women was an achievement also in that it triggers the
highest voting requirement. Had there been fewer that 9 women candidates, the
minimum voting requirement would have been reduced according to a scale set by
the ASP. The fact that there is a regionally diverse field of highly qualified
women candidates provides an opportunity to achieve parity in the final
composition of the Court.
It is now imperative that women's groups get involved in this election process
and urge and demand that our governments vote for qualified women and achieve
parity on the Court. To find out more about the candidates and the election
process, visit the Women's Caucus website at: www.iccwomen.org. You will find
the list of candidates with links to their background information in addition to
press releases, news stories, action letters and other important information
about the process.
YOU CAN BEGIN BY CONTACTING YOUR FOREIGN MINISTERS AND UN AMBASSADORS and
demanding that they pay special attention to the need to ensure parity on the
Court and support the election of qualified women. The contact information for
governments and UN Missions can be found on the Women's Caucus website as well:
http://www.iccwomen.org/Elections/ELECTIONSindex.htm. For a copy of the most
recent Campaign Communique entitled "Women on the Court Now!" please send a
request to caucus@iccwomen.org.
If you have information about individual candidates you would like to make
public, please send it to us. Also, if you have any media coverage or press
releases or statements about candidates or the process at the national level,
please share it with us and we will post it on the Women's Caucus website.
Although many candidates were submitted for the judicial posts at the Court, no
candidates were submitted for the position of Prosecutor. As a result, the
Bureau of the ASP extended the nomination period from 30 November to 8 December.
However, even at the end of the extension there were still no candidates. The
Bureau of the ASP announced that it would take the matter up with at the next
meeting of the ASP from 3-7 February 2003.
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NETWORK NEWS
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- International Initiative for Justice for Gujarat
Out of concern over the lack of appropriate response to the violence aimed at
the Muslim community in the Indian state of Gujarat beginning February 2002, an
International Initiative for Justice in Gujarat (IIJ) was constituted,
comprising jurists, activists, lawyers, writers and academics from various parts
of the world. Keeping in mind the many reports of independent agencies and
statutory bodies, the Panel, which visited Gujarat between 14th and 17th
December, investigated the violence - particularly the physical and sexual -
inflicted upon women since 27th February 2002 specifically in light of existing
international laws, conventions and norms.
The team of international panelists included Sunila Abeysekara, Director of
Inform, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Rhonda Copelon, Professor of Law, City University of
New York, Anissa Helie of Women Living Under Muslim Laws Algeria/France,
Gabriela Mischkowski, Historian and co-founder, Medica Mondiale, Germany, Nira
Yuval-Davis, Professor of Gender and Ethnic Studies at the University of
Greenwich, UK, and several other prominent feminists. The international
panelists joined with several other Indian feminists and activists, including
Vahida Nainar of the Women's Caucus for Gender Justice, to comprise the
initiative. Members of the Panel visited Ahmedabad, Baroda, and Panchmahals
District, and spoke with various affected people, support workers, lawyers, and
held confidential meetings with affected women.
The Panel also addressed the complicity of the State in the violence, the lack
of effective redress for the victims and the implications of the recent BJP
victory in the state. This panel was not simply a 'fact-finding' mission, but
rather was intended to support efforts toward achieving justice for the
survivors of these attacks, as well as to support the prevention of future
attacks against minorities, particularly women.
The Panel's Interim Report on the situation in Gujarat voiced strong concern
that "in spite of the totally inadequate legal and other responses to the
violence in Gujarat, the government has continued to deny permission for
international scrutiny of the situation.In a pluralist society such as India,
ensuring the equal representation and participation of all communities and
guaranteeing the rights of women and of minorities are among the most important
tests of a genuine democracy. The propagation of fear and hatred among
communities is anathema to these principles and is inconsistent with both
national and international law." The Report also addressed the similarities and
uniqueness of the ways in which sexual violence has been used in cases of
religious, ethnic or communal violence in other parts of the world, and stated:
"this violence, which reflects a longer and larger genocidal project, in our
view constitutes a crime against humanity and satisfies the legal definition of
genocide, both of which are crimes of the most serious dimension under
international law."
On the basis of their interviews and meetings, the panel has outlined Urgent
Actions to Be Taken by the state, the national and international community. They
have stressed on the restoration of the constitutional rights of the Muslims of
India and asserted the need for ensuring the protection of their human rights in
accordance with international norms. They have outlined recommendations for the
immediate redressal for crimes of sexual violence in accordance with the
provisions of the ICC and called for specific measures with regard to the issues
of justice, continuing impact of the violence, and the continued marginalization
of the Muslims of Gujarat. The panel's interim report and action recommendations
can be viewed at:
http://www.onlinevolunteers.org/gujarat/reports/iijg/interimreport.pdf.
- Launch of Gender and ICC Project in Romania
AnA, the Romanian Society for Feminist Analyses, is currently developing the
Gender and the International Criminal Court Project. At this point, Ana is
conducting an awareness-raising campaign related to the International Criminal
Court and its relevancy for the feminist movement. The target group is composed
mainly of women's NGOs in CEE. The project has been undertaken with the support
of the Network for East-West Women (NEWW) and in cooperation with the Women's
Caucus for Gender Justice.
The organization is developing a brochure entitled "Gender and the International
Criminal Court". The brochure will be available in English and Romanian, both
electronically and in hard copy. If you are interested in receiving a copy,
please forward your request with the following information:
a. Your name and exact address or the name and exact address of your
organization;
b. Your email address or the email address of your organization;
c. Information concerning your preference for the language (English or
Romanian) or the format (electronic or hard copy) of the brochure.
All information should be sent to:
Livia Aninosanu, Gender and the ICC Project Coordinator, AnA Society for
Feminist Analyses, Bd. Ferdinand 24, apt. 11, 70313, Bucuresti 2, Romania ;
tel./ fax 01.252.4959, e-mail : liviaa@home.ro, ana_saf@anasaf.ro
- Seminar for Women Judges
The Women's Caucus for Gender Justice, in association with the International
Association of Women Judges - International Women Judges Foundation, held a
seminar for women judges from 10-12 October 2002 in Budapest, Hungary, entitled
"Gender, Justice and the International Criminal Court."
The seminar brought together women judges from different regions to review the
international legal developments relating to gender justice in the ad hoc
tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and the future ICC. The Seminar
was an effort to begin a series of such discussions geared toward women who are
judges at the domestic level to raise awareness of the opportunities in
international tribunals and the importance of the international jurisprudence to
advance women's human rights in local and regional courts as well as in the
international fora.
Participants included: Judge Carmen Argibay of Argentina, Judge Solomi Bossa of
Uganda, Judge Tagreet Hikmot of Jordan, Judge Barbara Ott of Switzerland, Judge
Nazhat Shameem of Fiji, Judge Janet Tello of Peru and Judge Anita Usacka of
Latvia.
Barbara Bedont, Rhonda Copelon and Pam Spees, of the Women's Caucus, Binaifer
Nowrojee, formerly of Human Rights Watch, Kelly Askin of the International
Criminal Justice Institute, Paula Escarameia, Member of the International Law
Commission, and Gabriela Mischkowski of Medica Mondiale, served as resource
people. The seminar was supplemented also with the insights provided by Hon. Pat
Wald, former judge at the ICTY, and Hon. Navanethem Pillay, currently serving as
President of the ICTR and a candidate for the ICC. Ms. Danielle Cailloux, head
of the Victims and Witnesses Unit of the ICTY, also provided valuable insights.
- Second Anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325
The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security once again sought to
commemorate the UN Security Council's unanimous adoption of resolution 1325,
which calls for the inclusion of women in all aspects of peacebuilding, by
calling for another Arria formula meeting with the Council. The Arria Formula
meeting provides a forum in which NGO's can meet with members of the Security
Council to discuss further ways of implementing the resolution and to raise the
Council's awareness of the impact of armed conflict on women and obstacles to
their participation in peacebuilding efforts through individual testimonies.
The NGO working group thus met with the Security Council on 23 October 2002.
There were testimonies from women from Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
This time, though the Security Council refused to hear a testimony from the
Middle East or Gujarat, India, where the Muslim minority had been targeted for
widespread violence earlier in the year, the NGO working group facilitated the
travel and participation of advocates to speak to the press and at other events
about the situations.
In addition, the Working Group published a report entitled "Two Years On" which
contains a compilation of news and updates about women's peacebuilding efforts
in different parts of the world with highlights relating to women's efforts
around Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Inter-Congolese Dialogues. The report
also contains an annex of declarations, resolutions and statements made through
women's organizing in key events such as the Declaration and Proposed Plan of
Action adopted by women's groups in Sri Lanka, the Brussels Declaration adopted
by the Afghan Women's Summit and the Nairobi Declaration adopted at a meeting of
women around the Inter-Congolese Dialogues. The report can be accessed at:
http://www.peacewomen.org/un/UN1325/NGOreport.html
The UN Security Council conducted a two-day open debate on issues relating to
Women, Peace and Security on 28-29 October. During the Open Debate,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan told Council members: "If women are to play their
full part in negotiating peace accords, mediating disputes, creating new
governments, rebuilding judicial and civil infrastructures, and the many other
activities that support peace, the world needs to make an investment in building
up their skills for doing so. This will require both political will and a much
larger pool of funding." For a compilation of statements made during the Open
Debate, please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/SCOpenDebateOct2002/OpenDebateindex.html.
The UN Secretariat released an inter-agency study entitled "Women, Peace and
Security," which was commissioned by the Council in Resolution 1325 to look at
different aspects of the UN's peace operations and develop recommendations to
aid in the implementation of the resolution. The study can be accessed by
visiting: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/index.html#wps.
In addition to the secretariat's report, UNIFEM released an Independent Experts'
Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Women's Role in
Peacebuilding. The experts, Elizabeth Rehn, of Finland, and Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf, of Liberia, addressed members of the Security Council during the Arria
Formula meeting and summarized their findings and recommendations. The Expert
Assessment can be accessed at: http://www.unifem.undp.org/resources/assessment/index.html
The NGO Working Group on Women Peace and Security is comprised of the Hague
Appeal for Peace, International Alert, International Women's Tribune Centre, the
Women's Caucus for Gender Justice, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and
Children and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
- Building Capacities for Peacekeeping and Women's Dimensions in Peace Processes
The government of Chile hosted a bi-regional conference of the European Union
and the Latin American and the Caribbean from 4-5 November 2002 entitled,
"Building Capacities for Peacekeeping and Women's Dimensions in Peace
Processes," in Santiago, Chile. The purpose of the conference was to "increase
the cooperation between both regions by exchanging ideas concerning the role of
women in peace processes and peace operations." Participants included military
and police personnel as well as government and NGO experts on women and
peacekeeping issues.
Members of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security attended the
conference. They included: Merav Datan, Women's International League for Peace
and Freedom, Ramina Johal of Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children,
Nicola Johnston of International Alert, Indira Kajosevic, coordinator of the NGO
Working Group, and Pam Spees of the Women's Caucus for Gender Justice. For a
report of the conference and more information, visit: http://www.geocities.com/womenpeacekeeping/.
The NGO Working Group submitted a preliminary list of recommendations to the
conference which can be viewed at: http://www.geocities.com/womenpeacekeeping/ppngorecommendations.doc.
- Gender Justice and the International Criminal Court
La Morada, an NGO based in Santiago, Chile, coordinated a regional training for
NGO's in Central and South American entitled "Gender Justice and the
International Criminal Court," which was held from 11-14 November 2002 in Rio de
Janiero, Brazil. The training drew approximately 25 participants from NGO's in
nine different countries. Lorena Fries, of La Morada and a board member of the
Women's Caucus for Gender Justice, and Gloria Maira of Taller Communicacion
coordinated the training. Other resource people included Ana Lucia Herrera of
Taller Communicacion Mujer (Ecuador), Maria Solis of Fundacion Myrna Mack
(Guatemala), Kena Lorenzini of La Morada, Judge Sylvia Steiner (Brazil) and Ms.
Silvia Fernandez, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Argentina) and Pam Spees of the
Women's Caucus for Gender Justice,.
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INTERNATIONAL LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
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- Negotiations Toward Cambodia Tribunal to Begin Again
24 December - It was announced that talks would resume between Cambodia and UN
officials toward the creation of a tribunal to prosecute crimes against humanity
committed during the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s. After the UN General
Assembly passed a resolution re-authorizing negotiations toward a tribunal for
Cambodia, the government of Cambodia announced it will send a delegation to New
York in January to resume the discussions. The talks broke down earlier this
year over the issue of control of the tribunal and UN concerns about the
conformity to international human rights standards. The tribunal will likely
consist of a mixed panel of Cambodian and international judges.
- ICTY: Both Sides Seek Leniency in Sentencing of Plavsic
19 December - Prosecutors at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia in The Hague yesterday called for 15 to 25 years in jail, instead of
a life sentence, for former Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic, the only
senior Serb leader to confess to grave war crimes and express regret, the New
York Times reports.
Plavsic's defense lawyers pleaded for leniency because of her actions. "We
believe a long sentence would prevent other people from coming forth and doing
what she has done," said one lawyer, Robert Pavich.
Plavsic's sentence will not be handed down until next year, the Times said, but
the 72-year-old Plavsic has said that even a 10-year sentence would likely mean
spending most of the rest of her life in jail (Marlise Simons, New York Times,
Dec. 19).
Plavsic said she hoped her guilty plea would "help the Muslim, Croat and even
Serb victims not to be overtaken with bitterness, which often becomes hatred and
is, in the end, self-destructive." She urged the U.N. tribunal to pass a
sentence that would bring justice both for her and all war victims. "This
responsibility is mine and mine alone," she said. "The knowledge that I'm
responsible for such human suffering and for soiling the character of my people
will always be with me." [Source: UN Wire]
- Sierra Leone Special Court Judges Take Oaths, Elect Presiding Justices
16 December - The eight judges elected to serve on the Special Court for Sierra
Leone were sworn into office recently and soon after elected two judges to
preside over key chambers.
Geoffrey Robertson of the United Kingdom was elected to preside over the Appeals
Chamber and Bankole Thompson of Sierra Leone was elected to preside over the
Trial Chamber. The other six judges serving on the Court include: Emmanuel O.
Ayoola of Nigeria, Pierre Boutet of Canada, Benjamin M. Itoe of Cameroon and
Hassan B. Jallow of the Gambia, George Gelga King of Sierra Leone and Renate
Winter of Austria
The current Acting Registrar of the Special Court, Robin Vincent, was also
appointed to serve as the official Registrar as of 1 January.
The Special Court is a "mixed court" set up to try war crimes in Sierra Leone
comprised of both international and national judges. The court is mandated to
try persons deemed most responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and
other violations of international humanitarian law during the country's
decade-long civil conflict. Although no cases have yet been put forward, the
prosecution, under the leadership of Chief Prosecutor David Crane of the United
States, has already begun its work.
- ICTR: Security Council Approves List of Nominees
13 December - The United Nations Security Council approved a list of 23 judges
nominated for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The list will now
go to the General Assembly which will elect 18 of the candidates to serve. Of
the 23 candidates, only three are women.
The candidates include: Mansoor Ahman (Pakistan); Teimuraz Bakradze (Georgia);
Kocou Aresene Capo-Chichi (Benin); Frederick Mwela hoba (Zambia); Pavel Dolene
(Slovenia); Sergei Aleckseievich Egorov (Russian Federation); Robert Fremr
(Czech Republic); Asoka de Zoysa Gunawardana (Sri Lanka); Mehmet Guney (Turkey);
Michel Mahouve (Cameroon); Winston Churchill Matanzima Maqutu (Lesotho); Eric
Mose (Norway); Arlette Ramaroson (Madagascar); Jai Ram Reddy (Fiji); William
Hussoin Sekule (Tanzania); Emile Francis Short (Ghana); Francis M. Ssekandi
(Uganda); Cheick Traore (Mali); Xenofon Ulianovschi (Moldova); Andresia Vaz
(Senegal); Ines Monica Weinberg de Roca (Argentina); Mohammed Ibrahim Werfalli
(Libya); and Lloyd George Williams (Saint Kitts and Nevis).
- ICTY: Grants War Reporters Limited Legal Protection
12 December - The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
granted special legal protection for the first time to reporters working in
areas of conflict in a unanimous decision requiring journalists to testify
before the court only under exceptional circumstances, the New York Times
reported.
Recognizing that journalists play "a vital public watchdog role," the judges
ruled that evidence sought when issuing a subpoena to a war correspondent must
be "of direct and important value in determining a core issue in the case" and
"cannot reasonably [be] obtained elsewhere." The ruling annulled an earlier
court order for former Washington Post reporter Jonathan Randal to testify about
his 1993 interview with former Bosnian Serb political leader Radoslav Brdjanin.
Many news organizations have said that requiring war correspondents to testify
would hamper their work and endanger their lives. [Source: UN Wire. ]
- Migrant Convention to Enter Into Force
On Tuesday, 10 December, the East Timorese Parliament approved the 1990
International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers
and Members of Their Families. The ratification of the treaty by East Timor, the
20th country to ratify so far, will allow the treaty to enter into force.
Gabriela Rodriguez Pizarro, U.N. Human Rights Commission special rapporteur on
migrants, called the entry into force "a great success for all those who have
voiced the suffering of migrants and who have campaigned for the establishment
of an international legal framework for the protection of the human rights of
migrants."She praised the "holistic approach" of the treaty, saying the pact
encompasses civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights; accounts for
countries of origin, transit and destination and for both regular and irregular
migrants; and addresses exploitation, trafficking and smuggling of migrants. She
added that, under the treaty, countries are to provide information to employers,
employees and workers' groups and assist migrant workers and their families.
"The entry into force of the convention is a strong signal that the human
dimension of migration can no longer be overlooked. I trust that today will mark
a renewed commitment of governments, nongovernmental organizations,
international organizations and civil society at large to make the human rights
of migrants a reality," Pizarro said (U.N. release, Dec. 11). Source UN Wire.
- Conviction in Myrna Mack Case
Guatemala - In September, former Colonel Juan Valencia Osorio, a top-ranking
miliary officer during Guatemala's bloody civil war, was found guilty guilty of
ordering the murder of Myrna Mack, an anthropologist whose research exposed
crimes during the country's civil war. Mack, age 39, was stabbed to death aged
outside her office in Guatemala City in 1990, and a junior officer had been
found guilty of her murder in 1993.
The conviction of Osorio was pursued by human rights advocates because of his
role as assistant director to the Presidential Guard, which has been blamed for
targeting individuals for assassination and killing. Osorio was sentenced to 30
years in prison. Two other defendants, retired General Edgar Godoy and former
Colonel Juan Guillermo Oliva were acquitted on charges of their role in ordering
the murder.
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CALENDAR
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3-7 February 2003
Resumed Meeting of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute and
Election of Judges
UN headquarters New York
For more information, contact: cicc@iccnow.org or caucus@iccwomen.org
3-14 March 2003
47th Session Commission on the Status of Women
UN Headquarters, New York
For more information visit:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/47sess.htm
11 March 2003
Inauguration ceremony of the International Criminal Court
The Hague, The Netherlands
For more information, visit: http://www.icc.int/en/assembly_of_states_parties.html
21-23 April
Second resumed session of the Assembly of States Parties, at UN headquarters
New York, United States
For more information, email cicc@iccnow.org or visit: http://www.icc.int/
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ANNEX
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List of Candidates for the ICC
Luis Maria Benitez Riera (Paraguay - withdrawn); Rene Blattman (Bolivia);
Antonio Boggiano (Argentina); Marc Bossuyt (Belgium); Kocou A. Capo-Chichi
(Benin); Maureen Harding Clark (Ireland); Ion Diaconu (Romania); Fatoumata
Dembele Dairra (Mali); Jargalsaikhany Enkhsaikhan (Mongolia); Adrian Fulford
(United Kingdom); Ioannis Giannidis (Greece); Dimitar Gochev (Bulgaria);
Bunchhat Heng Vong (Cambodia); Karl Hudson-Phillips (Trinidad & Tobago); Claude
Jorda (France); Ivo Josipovic (Croatia); Adolphus G. Karibi-Whyte (Nigeria);
Hajnalka Karpati (Hungary); Joseph-Medard Katuala Kaba Kashala (DRC); Philippe
Kirsch (Canada); Hans-Peter Kaul (Germany); Erkki Kourula (Finland); Akua
Kuenyehia (Ghana); Kamugumya S.K. Lugakingira (Tanzania); Robert MacLean
Ugarteche (Peru); Doudou Ndir (Senegal); Rafael Nieto Navia (Colombia); Daniel
D.N. Nsereko (Uganda); Elizabeth Odio Benito (Costa Rica); Barbara Ott
(Switzerland); Gheorghios M. Pikis (Cyprus); Navanethem Pillay (South Africa);
Mauro Politi (Italy); Almiro Rodrigues (Portugal); Victor Rodriguez-Cedeno
(Venezuela); Mory Ousmane Sissoko (Niger); Tuiloma Neroni Slade (Samoa); Raymond
C. Sock (Gambia); Sang-hyun Song (Republic of Korea); Sylvia H. Steiner
(Brazil); Timoci Tuivaga (Fiji); Anita Usacka (Latvia); Juan Antonio
Yanez-Barnuevo (Spain); Eleonora Zielinska (Poland); Bostjan Zupancic (Slovenia)
Ratifications and Accessions to the Rome Statute (87):
Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium,
Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia,
Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, East Timor,
Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,
Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lesotho,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia (F.Y.R), Malawi, Mali, Malta, Marshall
Islands, Mauritius, Mongolia, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger,
Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea,
Romania, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan,
Tanzania (United Rep.), Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, Uruguay,
Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zambia
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