Editorials

Support the court

By the

April 24, 2003


The Bush administration refuses to join the International Criminal Court, which was officially founded last month and selected Luis Moreno Ocampo as its first prosecutor this week. Though the war in Iraq has eclipsed this issue, the International Criminal Court remains pertinent. The Voice supports the efforts of organizations that work to move the United States toward joining the ICC.

By prosecuting war criminals and those who commit genocide, this Court will promote the expansion of international law and the reduction of crimes against humanity. Since going into effect on July 1, 2002, the court has been ratified by 89 nations. Though President Clinton signed onto the ICC, the Bush administration nullified his signature and said that the United States will not join the court for fear that American soldiers and diplomats will be tried for political reasons in unfair trials. These fears are unfounded. The ICC will provide a judicial system to prosecute persons accused of crimes in nations without competent judicial systems, under global watch. According to Heather Hamilton, Director of Programs at the World Federalist Association, 66% of Americans polled support the ICC even when presented with the negative argument about politicized trials. 71% support the ICC when this negative possibility is not presented.

One aspect of the ICC is the Victims Trust Fund, which provides money directly to the victims of crimes against humanity. It provides funds for medical help and other necessary social goods to engender rehabilitative justice for those who have suffered these atrocities. The Victims’ Trust Fund Campaign asks U. S. citizens to send a $5 check made out to the Victims’ Trust Fund, an official part of the ICC, to their Senator with a letter asking the Senator to forward the check to the Fund. Senators must either forward the check or respond with an explanation. This campaign is an innovative way to spread awareness.

The Bush administration postures that it wants a just world free from brutal dictators and safe from unjust rulers. As Vienna Colucci of Amnesty International stated, “This is a court set up to prosecute precisely the crimes that the [Bush] administration claims it is engaging in a long-term campaign to ensure accountability for.” The United States has been at the forefront of international justice from the Nuremberg Trials through the current International War Crimes Tribunal regarding the Former Yugoslavia. The Voice urges support for this campaign to bring justice to the victims of heinous atrocities and give the United States a hand in the creation of an important international institution.



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