On 26 April 2021, H.E. Ms. Marta Lucía Ramírez, Vice President of the Republic of Colombia, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC), where she was received by the President of the Court, Judge Piotr Hofmański, ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and ICC Registrar, Peter Lewis.
President Hofmański thanked Vice-President Ramírez for Colombia’s long-standing support of the International Criminal Court as a State Party to the Rome Statute, the Court’s founding treaty. “As the Court’s workload continues to increase, the unwavering support and cooperation of the Court’s 123 States Parties is essential for the ICC to carry out effectively its crucial role in the fight against impunity for the gravest crimes under international law, in complementarity with national jurisdictions. We very much appreciate being able to count on Colombia’s continued commitment in this regard”, President Hofmański said.
H.E. Vice President Ramírez and her delegation met separately with Prosecutor Bensouda and her team in the context of the ongoing preliminary examination into the situation in Colombia.
The visit of Vice President Ramírez to the ICC highlights Colombia’s commitment to the Court and the goals and values of the Rome Statute.
Colombia signed the Rome Statute on 10 December 1998 and deposited its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 5 August 2002. The situation in Colombia has also been under preliminary examination by the Office of the Prosecutor since June 2004 concerning alleged war crimes committed since 1 November 2009 and alleged crimes against humanity committed since 1 November 2002 in Colombia.
