ICC judges authorise opening of an investigation into the situation in Bangladesh/Myanmar

On 14 November 2019, Pre-Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”) authorised the Prosecutor to proceed with an investigation for the alleged crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction in the Situation in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh/Republic of the Union of Myanmar (“the situation in Bangladesh/Myanmar”). ICC Pre-Trial Chamber III is composed of Judge Olga Herrera Carbuccia, Presiding, Judge Robert Fremr, and Judge Geoffrey Henderson.

This authorisation follows the request submitted on 4 July 2019 by the Prosecutor to open an investigation into alleged crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction committed against the Rohingya people from Myanmar. 

The Chamber also received the views on this request by or on behalf of hundreds of thousands of alleged victims. According to the ICC Registry, victims unanimously insist that they want an investigation by the Court and many of the consulted alleged victims ‘believe that only justice and accountability can ensure that the perceived circle of violence and abuse comes to an end’. The Chamber recognised all the individuals and organisations that assisted, guided and advised alleged victims throughout this process.

The Chamber concluded that the Court may exercise jurisdiction over crimes when part of the criminal conduct takes place on the territory of a State Party. While Myanmar is not a State Party, Bangladesh ratified the ICC Rome statute in 2010. Upon review of the available information, the Chamber accepted that there exists a reasonable basis to believe widespread and/or systematic acts of violence may have been committed that could qualify as the crimes against humanity of deportation across the Myanmar-Bangladesh border and persecution on grounds of ethnicity and/or religion against the Rohingya population. The Chamber found no need to assess whether other crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction may have been committed, even though such alleged crimes could be part of the Prosecutor’s future investigation. 

Noting the scale of the alleged crimes and the number of victims allegedly involved, the Chamber considered that the situation clearly reaches the gravity threshold. According to the supporting material, an estimated 600,000 to one million Rohingya were forcibly displaced from Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh as a result of the alleged coercive acts.  Noting the victims’ views, the Chamber agreed with the Prosecutor that there are no substantial reasons to believe that an investigation into the situation would not be in the interests of justice.

Consequently, Pre-Chamber III authorised the commencement of the investigation in relation to any crime, including any future crime, as long as: a) it is within the jurisdiction of the Court, b) it is allegedly committed at least in part on the territory of Bangladesh, or on the territory of any other State Party or State accepting the ICC jurisdiction, c)  it is sufficiently linked to the situation as described in the present decision, and d) it was allegedly committed on or after  the date of entry into force of the Rome Statute for Bangladesh or other relevant State Party.

Decision Pursuant to Article 15 of the Rome Statute on the Authorisation of an Investigation into the Situation in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh/Republic of the Union of Myanmar

On 14 November 2019, the President the International Criminal Court (ICC) Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, delivered the third annual Lantos Rule of Law Lecture at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University, in Washington, D.C., United States.

During his lecture, titled “The US and the ICC”, the President recalled the message of the USA Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremberg proceedings after the World War II, Robert H Jackson, who underscored the “indispensability” of international law “to a world that plans to live in peace.”

President Chile Eboe Osuji stressed that “when international law operates to make our world a little better for common humanity in the long run, it would have worked to our national advantage, though it may not seem like it in the short run”.

“Justice plays its important part in helping to deter those conducts and events that drive mass migration or refugee flows. It does so by exerting the needed pressure against those conducts. And that is one more reason that compels sustaining and supporting the ICC – and not subverting it,” the President stated.

In his remarks, the ICC President expressed his disappointment at the threats made against the Court by the United States Government in the context of the situation in Afghanistan. “It truly confounds the mind to think that such a development would be something that could, in the strangest of happenings, be associated with the Government of the United States – a country that the world has grown used to seeing as the most prominent lighthouse of the rule of law and respect for judicial independence”, he said.

The President however welcomed the fact that influential groups and individuals within the U.S. had condemned the threats against the ICC and called upon their government to cooperate with the Court. The President ended his lecture with a call upon the United States to join the Rome Statute of the ICC.

 “The US and the ICC”: Annual Lantos Rule of Law Lecture by ICC President Chile Eboe-Osuji

Video of the Annual Lantos Rule of Law Lecture     

Je salue la décision prise hier par les juges de la CPI de faire droit à ma demande d’ouvrir une enquête sur la situation en République populaire du Bangladesh/République de l’Union du Myanmar.  

Les juges de la CPI ont accepté mon analyse selon laquelle il existe une base raisonnable permettant de croire que des moyens coercitifs qui pourraient être qualifiés de crimes contre l’humanité de déportation et de persécution pour des motifs d’ordre ethnique et/ou religieux auraient été employés contre la population Rohingya.

La décision prise hier autorise l’ouverture d’une enquête officielle sur des crimes relevant de la compétence de la Cour, qui auraient été commis à compter du 1^er juin 2020, en partie du moins sur le territoire du Bangladesh, ou sur le territoire d’autres États parties, tel qu’indiqué dans la décision. 

Il s’agit d’une avancée importante qui envoie un signal positif aux victimes d’atrocités au Myanmar et ailleurs.

En qualité d’organe chargé des poursuites, et grâce à notre travail, nous espérons pouvoir rendre justice aux victimes, dès lors que les conditions liées à notre compétence sont remplies. 

L’objet de mon enquête sera de faire éclater la vérité. Mon bureau œuvrera désormais à la réussite de son enquête indépendante et impartiale. 

Pour ce faire, nous comptons sur l’appui et la coopération sans réserve des États parties, de la société civile et de nos autres partenaires dans notre quête commune en faveur de la justice pénale internationale. 

Le Bureau du Procureur de la CPI mène des examens préliminaires, des enquêtes et des poursuites à propos du crime de génocide, des crimes contre l’humanité, des crimes de guerre et du crime d’agression, en toute impartialité et en toute indépendance. Depuis 2003, le Bureau enquête sur plusieurs situations relevant de la compétence de la CPI : en Ouganda, en République démocratique du Congo, au Darfour (Soudan), en République centrafricaine (deux situations distinctes), au Kenya, en Libye, en Côte d’Ivoire, au Mali, en Géorgie, au Burundi et en République populaire du Bangladesh/République de l’Union du Myanmar. Le Bureau conduit également des examens préliminaires à propos des situations en Colombie, en Guinée, en Iraq/Royaume-Uni, au Nigéria, en Palestine, aux Philippines, en Ukraine et au Venezuela.

Pour en savoir plus sur les « examens préliminaires » et les « situations et affaires » portées devant la Cour, veuillez cliquer ici et ici.

Source : Bureau du Procureur | Contact : OTPNewsDesk@icc-cpi.int

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 15 November 2019 — The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, briefed yesterday Permanent Representations to the OPCW based outside of The Hague.

During the Director-General’s briefing to 28 delegates from 24 Permanent Representations, he discussed issues pertaining to the upcoming Twenty-Fourth Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CSP-24). The Director-General expressed his appreciation to the Member States for “their on-going commitment and strong support for the Chemical Weapons Convention and the work of the Technical Secretariat”.

The Chairperson of the Executive Council, H.E. Ambassador Andrea Perugini, also provided a briefing on the activities of OPCW’s Executive Council.

Additional briefings were provided by OPCW Deputy Director-General, H.E. Ambassador Odette Melono, on the fifth phase of OPCW’s Africa Programme and by OPCW’s Director of International Cooperation and Assistance (ICA), Ms. Kayoko Gotoh, on assistance and protection programmes.

Participants shared their views and concerns during the question and answer session at the end of the presentations.