Today, 17 July, we are celebrating the Day of International Criminal Justice, commemorating a key moment in the promotion of rule of law, the protection of human rights, and the punishment of crimes that undermine peaceful coexistence among peoples. On 17 July 1998, the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court was adopted: an event whose historic importance has led many to compare it to the approval of the United Nations Charter.
Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and today also Syria: there is no sign that intolerance and violence in the world are on the wane. No Country is immune from them. By establishing the Court, the international community rejected any form of indifference to atrocities such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, as well as any form of impunity for the perpetrators.
There can be no peace without the conviction of the criminals and the recognition of their grievous guilt: in a word, without justice for the victims. To prevent the wounds of the past from causing destabilizing infections, they must be healed. Acknowledgement and punishment of the atrocities committed are the prerequisite for assuring that such crimes are never repeated. This is what makes the International Criminal Court an instrument of peace and preventive diplomacy. In many cases the pursuit of truth did not only deliver justice to the victims, but it also generated a kind of collective catharsis. The Court’s deterrent effect thus helps to prevent the recurrence of acts of such brutality, to make the principle of legality more deeply-rooted, and to assure that the responsibility to protect prevails over the culture of impunity.
Over the years the Court has grown in authority and credibility. The number of Countries that have ratified the Statute has now reached 122. The Rome Statute Review Conference, held in Kampala in 2010, led to the adoption of important amendments related to war crimes and the crime of aggression that could broaden the area of application of the Statute. It is up to us, all the States Parties, to continue to whole-heartedly assure the necessary political and financial support to the Court. Because without the active collaboration of the States, without a concrete commitment and determination to guarantee the functioning of the Court, this first step toward international criminal jurisdiction will have been voided of all content.
Italy promoted the establishment of the Court, immediately adopted the law ratifying the Rome Statute, but took ten years to adapt its own domestic legislation to the Statute and enable itself to cooperate fully with the Court. On the issue of human rights we must never lower our guard. I thus welcome the Day of International Criminal Justice not only to celebrate but also to renew the support of the Italian government institutions and society for international criminal justice.
In this spirit, I have made arrangements for the flag of the International Criminal Court to be hung today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome, alongside the flags of the Italian Republic and the European Union.
