Luxembourg reaffirms its full support to the International Criminal Court (ICC). As the world’s first permanent international criminal court, the ICC represents one of the most important steps in the development of international criminal justice and in the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes: the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The Court constitutes an essential part of a multilateral system based on the respect for the rule of law.
Last week, the Chambre des Députés, the Luxembourg Parliament, approved by unanimity the draft law on the approval of the amendments to article 8 of the Rome Statute, adding three additional war crimes to the Statute. Luxembourg thus reaffirmed its commitment in favour of the crucial work of the ICC.
Luxembourg also remains committed to promoting the universality of the Rome Statute. In that respect, we welcome the accession of Malaysia on 4 March 2019, which brings to 124 the number of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC.
At the same time, we wish to express our deep concern about the recent attacks on the ICC. While noting the sovereign right of every State to become party to the Rome Statute, we regret the United States government’s recently announced decision regarding visa restrictions on ICC officials. Such a decision risks undermining the independence of the Court and hindering its work.
We therefore reiterate our unwavering support to the International Criminal Court and its essential work in the fight against impunity and in rendering justice to the victims of the most serious crimes of international concern.