FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 10, 2003
International Criminal Court to be Inaugurated
Canada’s Philippe Kirsch among Court’s first Eighteen Judges

(Ottawa) – Eighteen judges who will oversee the formation of the world’s first permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) will be sworn in tomorrow in The Hague. Queen Beatrix, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and scores of world leaders will attend the inauguration.

Canada’s Philippe Kirsch is among the ICC’s first 18 judges. The ICC’s Assembly of States Parties elected Kirsch last month.

The 18 jurists, of which seven are women and eleven are men, will be “the trustees of a new system of international justice,” said William R. Pace, Convenor of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court.

The ICC will bring to trial individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity. The court’s supporters hail it as the biggest advance in international justice since the founding of the U.N., and expect that it will do much to restrain and deter the worst violators of international humanitarian law.

The treaty came into force July 1, 2002, but has since had to complete a number of procedural steps. Following this week’s inauguration ceremonies and swearing in of Judges, the first bench must elect a President and two Vice-Presidents and divide into chambers (i.e., pre-trial, trial and appeals chambers).

Mr. Kirsch, who chaired the UN conference where the ICC treaty was negotiated, as well as the follow up Preparatory Commission, is one of the leading candidates for election as President of the Court. Fergus Watt, Executive Director of the World Federalists of Canada, has monitored the Court’s creation for seven years. “Philippe Kirsch’s experience makes him uniquely qualified to play a leading role on the ICC bench,” says Watt.

With the election of the ICC Prosecutor, expected April 21-23, and the Court Registrar shortly thereafter, the ICC should by mid-year be ready to begin addressing the more than 200 referrals it has reportedly received.

For more information:
Fergus Watt, World Federalists of Canada (613) 232-0647
William Pace, Coalition for the ICC (212) 687-2176 (www.iccnow.org)