The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, attends 7th Colloquium of Inter

From the 4th to the 5th of November 2014, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, attended the 7th Colloquium of International Prosecutors held in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Colloquium organised by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) focused on local prosecutions of international crimes. The Colloquium gathered prosecutors from international courts and tribunals, national prosecutors from a number of States Parties and States not Party to the Rome Statute, from Africa, Europe and other parts of the world, as well as representatives of civil society.

In her opening remarks, Prosecutor Bensouda recalled that the Rome Statute system gave States Parties the primary responsibility to investigate, prosecute and prevent atrocities. “In all our cases in Africa and beyond, the ICC should be seen as an extension of national efforts to end impunity for mass crimes”, said the Prosecutor. As a court of last resort, the ICC can only investigate and prosecute crimes within its jurisdiction where States are unwilling or unable to do so.

As host of the Colloquium, ICTR Prosecutor, Mr. Hassan Jallow said “much of the success of the past two decades in this area has been the product of an effective partnership between international and local justice mechanisms; and that the future lies in consolidating and enhancing that partnership.” He added that “the process of international criminal justice must always remain an option for the international community for it has, despite some of its limitations, the distinct advantage of ensuring accountability in cases where local justice is unable or unwilling to act.”

The Colloquium provided for a forum to exchange information and share experiences between seasoned prosecutors on how to investigate and prosecute international crimes at the national level.

The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC conducts independent and impartial investigations and prosecution of the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Office of the Prosecutor is currently conducting eight investigations: Uganda; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Darfur, Sudan; Central African Republic; Kenya; Libya; Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. The Office is also conducting preliminary examinations relating to the situations in Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Iraq, Nigeria, Comoros and Ukraine.