Introduction to Promoting Rule of Law, Defending Human Rights

Coalition for the International Criminal Court

Universal Jurisdiction

Universal Jurisdiction

As states seek to pass legislation and amend their constitutions to allow for the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, important strides are being made in the integration of international human rights standards into national jurisdictions. The Rome Statute provides that national courts have the primary responsibility for prosecuting criminals and that the Court can only act when national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute. Therefore, states can and should enact national laws that allow their national courts to investigate and prosecute any person present in their territory suspected of crimes, regardless of the location of the crime and the nationality of the accused and the victim.

In the last few years many nations have joined civil society organizations in promoting "universal jurisdiction" to bring to justice any perpetrator of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The process of national governments creating obligations for their own domestic courts to try violators of international law whatever their national origin and wherever the crime occurred will have revolutionary long-term effects. WFM will continue to support and uphold the ideals of this process to ensure that countries cannot be used as safe havens to elude justice by criminals of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.