The International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Republic of Slovenia have concluded an Agreement on the Enforcement of Sentences. Under the agreement, persons convicted by the ICC may serve their sentence of imprisonment in Slovenia if so decided by the Court and accepted by Slovenia.
On 7 December 2018, Judge Robert Fremr, First Vice-President of the Court, and Dr Dominika Švarc Pipan, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Slovenia, signed the agreement during the plenary session on cooperation at the seventeenth session of the Assembly of States Parties in The Hague.
The Rome Statute provides that sentences of imprisonment imposed by the ICC “shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons”.
Welcoming Slovenia’s commitment and support for the Court in signing the Agreement, First Vice-President Fremr stated: “While voluntary, cooperation in the matter of enforcement of sentences is crucial. The Court simply cannot perform its enforcement functions without the assistance of States. The conclusion of Enforcement Agreements, as well as other cooperation agreements, is crucial not only to enable the Court to carry out its mandate, but also as part of the broader context of the global fight against impunity”.
The State Secretary of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Švarc Pipan said that: “The signing of the Agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the International Criminal Court on the enforcement of sentences represents a concrete contribution and expression of Slovenia’s persisting support to the ICC and the rule of law in general.
Slovenia believes that support to international criminal justice and respect of rule of law is of great importance, especially when the Court is facing different challenges in its efforts to bring justice to victims of most serious atrocities and efforts to prevent such violations of international law and to protecting basic human rights in the future. This is also a responsibility and obligation of all States. States, within their national jurisdiction, bear the primary responsibility to ensure accountability for serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole”.
Similar agreements on the enforcement of sentences are currently in force between the ICC and the governments of Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Mali, Norway, Serbia, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
