On 29 June 2009, after 11 years of internal legal challenges, Chile formally joined the International Criminal Court (ICC) by depositing its instrument of ratification to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Chile’s ratification brings the total number of States Parties to the Court to 109 and is an important step towards universal support for ending impunity in South America, leaving Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Nicaragua as the only Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America that have yet to join the ICC.
Statement by Sergio Stanzani and Niccolo’ Figa-Talamanca, President and Secretary-General of No Peace Without Justice:
“On the seventh anniversary of the entry into force of the Rome Statute, No Peace Without Justice and the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty congratulate Chile for this historic step, which concludes a lengthy and complex legislative process and has involved sustained commitment from all levels of Chilean society, from civil society through parliamentarians to government officials. Chile’s ratification demonstrates its clear commitment to justice and the rule of law as a pre-condition for sustainable peace and marks a further significant step forward in the international community's efforts to put an end to impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. This commitment is also of significant importance given the country’s recent history and represents the guarantee that the grave violations perpetrated during the Pinochet regime will never again be tolerated.
“The International Criminal Court is at its most pivotal stage since its establishment in 2002. There are charges pending against individuals alleged to have committed serious violations of international law in each of the four situations under investigation (Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Central African Republic and Darfur) and investigations in other countries are also likely to commence this year. With the recent ICC arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, support and cooperation from all States Parties is even more critical to enable the ICC to fulfil its investigative and prosecutorial mandate to ensure that perpetrators of the worst crimes under international law are held to account.
“We very much hope that other countries will draw inspiration from Chile's example and ratify the Rome Statute with all possible speed, which would ensure more active participation both in the Assembly of States Parties and in the work of the ICC itself
“Now that Chile has ratified the Rome ICC Statute, it must now ensure that it has in place appropriate procedures to enable it to cooperate fully with the ICC and to fulfil its complementarity obligations. We look forward to Chile taking this next important step as soon as possible, further solidifying its commitment to the victims of these crimes and to justice as an integral part of peace.”
