asymmetrical haircuts

On the 20th anniversary of the ICC, with the help of the Coalition For the International Criminal Court, we brought together some of the people who have been campaigning for states to ratify from day one. What was the pull factor in the ratification of the Rome Statute? And what has changed over time? Is the goal of a universal court still attainable? 

We hear from Brigitte Suhr, human rights and social justice consultant, about her early work with the Coalition  For the International Criminal Court in gathering states under the ICC umbrella and why she is proud of their achievements. We also have Melissa Verpile, Director of Democratic Renewal and Human Rights Campaign at Parliamentarians for Global Action, explaining why the Rome Statute is still relevant in the face of all the mass atrocities which still remained unpunished today. Melissa also gives plenty of arguments to use in the debate on why small states should ratify if the big fish (China, Russia, and the US) do not.     

For a closer look at how the politics of joining the ICC play locally, we welcome Oleksandra Matviychuk from the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine and Aurora Parong from the Philippines National Coalition for the ICC. Oleksandra gives us an inside perspective on the ratification process inside Ukraine and how this has changed since the start of the war. As the Philippines started withdrawing from the ICC in 2018, Aurora fills us in on the reason behind it and the work that is still being done to achieve accountability. 

As food for thought, Melissa suggests reading Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein, which reflects on how we struggle to talk to each other across political divides, while Aurora highlights the Afghanistan and Bangladesh cases at the ICC, interesting because they are in her backyard! Finally, Oleksandra goes for a future favourite case – Ukraine at the ICC.

This podcast has been published as part of a partnership between Asymmetrical Haircuts and JusticeInfo.net. JusticeInfo is an independent website covering news on justice related to mass violence, so as to promote reconciliation and fight impunity in societies facing serious crises. It is a project of Fondation Hirondelle.

The campaign to establish an International Anti-Corruption Court – the IACC – has been bowling along rapidly since the first 100 world leaders signed the Declaration in support of the IACC in June 2021.

Over the past couple of years, working with international partners to establish the Court has become official foreign policy in both Canada and the Netherlands. The two countries, together with Ecuador and other partners, will hold a conference of ministers from many countries later this year on international efforts to tackle corruption, with particular focus on the IACC.

Integrity Initiatives International, the international non-profit behind the Declaration and coordinator of the campaign for the IACC, also announced in April that a total of 32 Nobel laureates have now endorsed the IACC initiative. Find the Declaration and its signatories list here.

But what’s it all about, why is it needed, what would it look like, what’s the model? Those are the questions Janet asked some of those involved in the campaign; international lawyer Maja Groff, and Justice Richard Goldstone.

Also check out our recent podcasts on how the ICC – International Criminal Court – was set up. And what kind of new court options are being considered for Ukraine.