UN urged to refer Syria to International Criminal Court
AP, Jan 12 2013
More than 50 countries have backed a call for the UNSC to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, a move that would open the way for war crimes prosecutions. A draft of the letter said:
The situation in Syria should be referred to the ICC without exceptions and irrespective of the alleged perpetrators. At the very least, the council should send out an unequivocal message announcing that it intends to refer the situation to the ICC unless a credible, fair and independent accountability process is established in a timely manner by Syria.
The letter cites a UN report documenting summary executions, torture and sexual violence since the start of the uprising in Mar 2011. It also notes repeated appeals by the UNHRC calling for ICC referral. The draft letter was signed by Switzerland’s ambassador to the UN in New York on behalf of dozens of countries including Britain and France, two of the 5 permanent UNSC members. The other three permanent members, the US, China and Russia, had not signed the draft. Russia insists that Syria must be left to resolve the conflict independently. Moscow’s priority is to immediately cease all violence and bloodshed and deliver humanitarian assistance to the Syrians, including IDPs and refugees, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. A spokesman for Switzerland’s UN mission in New York said:
The letter will be submitted to the UNSC on Monday. Switzerland first proposed such a move in Jun 2012, and it now has the backing of more than 50 countries from all regions of the world, giving it sufficient political weight. The manifold allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Syria must be investigated and those responsible among all the parties of the conflict must be brought before a court.
The UNSC is the only body that can refer Syria to the ICC, because Syria hasn’t ratified the international convention that established the tribunal.
Niqnaq 