Asian Human Rights Commission, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development and Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor

[Ed. Note: This press statement was issued on Aug. 14, 2001, at the conclusion of the workshop.]

Thirty-six participants from the East and Southeast Asian subregions met at the East Asian Workshop on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hong Kong from Aug. 11 to 14, 2001. This workshop was co-organised by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum Asia) and the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor (HKHRM). The participants at the meeting studied the Rome Statute of the ICC, including various crimes covered by it and issues in the Asian region that have a great deal of relevance to the statute.

The co-organisers of this workshop would like to bring a few salient points discussed during the workshop to the attention of the public and the States of the Asian region, especially the East Asian region. We find that in recent history the people in the Asian region have witnessed grave crimes that are fundamental crimes covered by the statute of the ICC, including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Asian region has also lost millions of lives while witnessing this tragic history, and many more millions of people still suffer the trauma of these crimes. When these horrendous crimes took place, there was no effective international mechanism to prevent them from happening or to grant redress. Impunity remains a major obstacle for the redress of these international crimes. In fact, today we find in many Asian countries a continuation of these crimes, especially war crimes and crimes against humanity. Thus, the need for a preventive mechanism for grave human rights violations is a much-felt need in the Asian region. The ICC is an effective international mechanism, not only to seek justice for victims of grave human rights violations, but also as an effective measure to prevent these crimes. The ICC is thus an international mechanism that has paramount importance for the Asian region.

For the ICC to come into effect, there needs to be 60 ratifications; and as of this date, there are only 37 countries who have ratified the statute of the ICC. Although the ICC has direct relevance to the tragic situation of past and ongoing grave crimes, such as crimes against humanity and war crimes in the countries of Asia, we find that most Asian States are unwilling to sign and ratify the statute of the ICC. There are only eight signatories and one ratification of the ICC in Asia. Thus, in search for peace and justice, there is an urgent need for the Asian States to sign and ratify the statute of the ICC. The participants of this workshop urge the States in the East Asian region, especially the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, Japan and the Republic of Korea, to expedite the process of signing and ratifying the statute of the ICC. By signing and ratifying the statute of the ICC, these States will enable the citizens of their countries to have the benefit of the ICC to better protect their lives and rights.

We also realize that it is the peoples of this region itself who should take the initiative in promoting the ICC. It is the people who want impunity to end and to establish better protection for themselves and their future generations. The people need to pressure their governments to be better promoters of the ICC and to ensure that their government will show the political will necessary to achieve the aims of the ICCÐfirst by ratifying the Rome Statute of the ICC and secondly by actively cooperating and participating in the activities and various processes of the court. In this endeavor, the role of civil society in the region, especially non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to spread awareness among the peoples in Asia about the ICC and its relevance to the regional situation needs to be stressed. We encourage all organisations and NGOs to carry out various activities to promote the ICC. We also urge civil society organisations and NGOs in the Asian region to urge their States to ratify the statues of the ICC.