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End of the Milosevic Regime:

Time to Lift Sanctions Against Yugoslavia

Rights & Democracy is calling on the international community to lift sanctions against Yugoslavia and recognize without delay the electoral victory of opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica.

Montreal, 06 October, 2000 – Rights & Democracy is calling on the international community to lift sanctions against Yugoslavia and recognize without delay the electoral victory of opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica.

"As democracy takes hold in Yugoslavia in the wake of the ousting of Slobodan Milosevic, all sanctions must be lifted immediately in order to allow the people to rebuild their lives and to enjoy their fundamental human rights. Canada must now do all it can to provide assistance towards the reconstruction of their country devastated by NATO bombings, " Warren Allmand, President of Rights & Democracy said today in a statement.

Mr. Allmand warned that indicted war criminals in Yugoslavia must not be allowed to escape from justice. Calls for lifting the war crime charges against Mr. Milosevic and to provide him with immunity from prosecution are cause for "deep concern," he said.

"Only the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has the authority to withdraw an indictment and there is absolutely no justification for such an action. In fact, additional charges should be brought against him for the atrocities he has committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia."

"Granting Mr. Milosevic immunity would send a wrong signal to would-be war criminals around the world, especially at a time when there is an international push for the ratification of the Rome Statute, creating the International Criminal Court. (ICC) . Once 60 countries have ratified the Statute, the ICC will have the power to investigate, prosecute and judge those who commit the most heinous crimes, such as crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes.

THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
ROME STATUTE SIGNATURE AND RATIFICATION CHART

Latest ratification/accession:

On Monday, 10 February 2003, Afghanistan became the 89th State that ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute.

10 countries deposited ratifications instruments at the UN during a ceremony on April 11th 2002, bringing the total past the 60 ratifications needed to establish the Court.

The 10 countries are: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ireland, Jordan, Mongolia, Niger, Romania and Slovakia.

Ratification by Canada: 07 July, 2000.

139 States had signed the Statute by 31 December 2000.The treaty will enter into force and establish the jurisdiction of the Court on 1 July 2002.

More information available on the Coalition for the International Criminal Court web site.

The ICC Statute was open for signature by states until 31 December 2000. When a state has signed the Statute, it has taken the first step to becoming bound by the Statute. However, it must still ratify the Statute to complete the process.

Ratification means the international act whereby a State establishes on the international plane its consent to be bound by a treaty. The process of ratification is different for each country depending on its government system. The ICC Statute states that the Statute is subject to ratification. This means that if a country has signed but not ratified the ICC Statute, it is not yet bound by the treaty. However, such a state is still obliged to refrain from acts which would defeat the object and purpose of the treaty.

Once 60 states have signed AND ratified the Statute, the Statute will enter into force for those countries who have ratified it and the Court will be established at the Hague.