On 19 May 2011, the Government of Grenada formally deposited its instrument of accession to the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with the Office to UN Secretary General’s office. Grenada’s ratification brings the total number of States Parties to the Court to 115 and is an important step towards universal support for ending impunity, particularly in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Statement by Alison Smith, Legal Counsel of No Peace Without Justice:
“No Peace Without Justice and the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty congratulate Grenada for this very important step, which concludes a lengthy and complex legislative process and has involved sustained commitment from all levels of Grenada society, from civil society and the media through parliamentarians to government officials.
“Grenada’s decision to join its 10 CARICOM counterparts as a State Party to the Rome Statute of the ICC 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.
“Now that Grenada has ratified the Rome ICC Statute, it must ensure that it has in place appropriate procedures to enable it to cooperate fully with the ICC and to fulfill its complementarity obligations. We look forward to Grenada taking this next critical step as soon as possible, further solidifying its commitment to the victims of these crimes and to justice as an integral part of peace.
“Grenada’s ratification leaves The Bahamas, Jamaica and Haiti as the remaining Caribbean States that have yet to embrace the Rome Statute. We very much hope that they will draw inspiration from Grenada’s example and ratify this instrument with all possible speed, which would ensure more active participation of those States and the region more generally in the Assembly of States Parties and in the work of the ICC itself.”
For more information, please contact Alison Smith on asmith@npwj.org or +32-(0)2-548-3912, or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32-2-548-39 15.
