International Criminal Justice Day – Minister for Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni’s message

Today, 17 July, we celebrate the International Day of Criminal Justice in memory of a cardinal moment in the development of the rules for defending fundamental rights and punishing crimes that offend the very conscience of humankind.

Indeed, the Statute adopted in Rome on 17 July 1998  made it possible to develop those instruments that today endow the International Criminal Court with determination and efficacy in the pursuit and punishment of those responsible for atrocities such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The establishment of the International Criminal Court was a point of arrival after a long process of historical and political evolution aimed at the assertion of the principle of   individual responsibility for international crimes, wherever or by whomever they have been committed.  Its membership has grown over time to the present 123, and is an expression of the planet’s various geographic areas, as are the cases and situations that those states and the UN Security Council have submitted for Court review.

The Court’s essential role in ensuring legality and respect for fundamental rights in conflict areas makes it, first and foremost, a tool in the service of the victims, starting with the weakest, as well as of international peace and security, and against the destabilizing culture of impunity. Indeed, the Court carries out the essential function of deterrence and prevention, underpinning international community efforts at reinforcing peace in many parts of the world.

On the basis of its lengthy legal tradition, Italy vigorously espoused this assertion of the principles of law and rejection of the most hateful crimes, a conviction shared by increasingly vast segments of the community of states and the civil society.

Tenacious efforts must continue in that sense, with a view to encouraging the ever broader embrace of the Statute of Rome, constant dialogue among the members and the increased participation and involvement of all international community actors, united in the common commitment to guaranteeing justice to the victims.

It is in this spirit that we celebrate this day, flying the flag of the International Criminal Court on the Farnesina Palace high alongside those of Italy and the European Union.

International Criminal Court