Members of civil society stand alongside Paraguayan parliamentarians at the House of Deputies during the 7 July 2016 Consultations on the Implementation of the Rome Statute and Support to the Court.© Parliamentarians for Global Action
The latest in Global Justice news: Paraguay approves draft law on implementation of the Rome Statute; Palestinian Authority considers filing more complaints against Israel at the ICC; UN warns of escalating tension in eastern Ukraine as causalities hit highest since last August; civilian death toll rises following shell attacks in Syria as rebels claim advances in Aleppo; and much more.
Paraguay: Draft national ICC law passed in senate
In a potentially decisive move, on 4 August the Senate of Paraguay approved the Draft Law on Implementation of the Rome Statute that creates the International Criminal Court—15 years after Paraguay joined the Statute and three years after the Senate, urged on by civil society, took up the draft law on investigating and prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
“We will continue working with other colleague parliamentarians and all relevant organizations, pursuant to the commitment of my country as well as my own personal commitment to justice for victims of the most serious crimes of international concern that shock human consciousness,” said Dip. Juan Félix Bogado Tatter, Member of Parliamentarians for Global Action.
For its June 2016 Campaign for Global Justice, the Coalition urged the President of the Senate of Paraguay to facilitate the draft law’s swift passage through a final debate in the Senate and into the hands of the Chamber of Deputies, where it now stands.
On 7 July, the Coalition and Amnesty International supported Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) in organizing consultations on the draft law with members of the Senate.
“[By completing the implementation process,] the Paraguayan state will be taking a further step in the fight against impunity, and provide a key example for other states in the region that are still embarking on the process of fully implementing the Statute,” Coalition Regional Coordinator for the Americas Michelle Reyes Milk said.
Years of civil society efforts have reinforced Paraguay’s commitment to fight impunity for the worst crimes under international law and may yet have a more far-reaching positive impact on Rome Statute ratification and implementation throughout Latin America.
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