24 Nov 2013

Botswana remains firmly committed to a strong and effective international criminal justice system. Attorney General, Dr Athalia Molokomme said at the 12th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague on November 21.

Dr Molokomme said, "this explains why Botswana is an unflinching supporter of the ICC, and why we will continue to do everything in our power to contribute to the achievement of the aims and objectives of the Rome Statute," she said.

It was in pursuit of these ideals that Botswana announced its candidature for the Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties in respect of the 2015-2017 triennium.

“We naturally count on the confidence and invaluable support of states parties towards this candidature,” she said. She further said Botswana had been working closely with like-minded states parties delegations in initiating amendments to the Court’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence in order to address the question of presence of an accused person at a trial.

The Attorney General said through the proposed Amendments, the parties hope that greater flexibility can be applied in the interpretation and application of Article 63.

“We have been very encouraged by the positive spirit which delegations have exhibited in this effort. We trust that States Parties will hold fruitful deliberations and reach consensus on the proposed Amendments during this Session of the Assembly,” she said.

Dr Molokomme appealed for States Parties to take urgent steps to ratify the Kampala Amendments to the Rome Statute - specifically dealing with the Crime of Aggression. She said it was important to secure the requisite number of ratifications in order for the Amendments to enter into force.

Dr Molokomme said the key priorities of the international criminal justice system must be to secure justice for the victims of serious international crimes and to help prevent the commission of such crimes in future.

She commended the court for continuing to undertake the commendable work in supporting more than 110 thousand victims and their families through the Trust Fund for Victims, despite the serious budgetary constraints that the court faces. ENDS