New York, US -  The President of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), Sang-Hyun Song, has called on the Mozambican government to join the court by ratifying the Rome Statue. Song made the call Sunday at the end of an official visit to Maputo, Mozambique. A statement from the ICC said: 'President Song was in Mozambique to raise awareness about the ICC and address the 12th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Southern African Development Community Lawyers' Association (SADC LA), where over 350 lawyers took part in the three-day event.'

It stated: 'Of the 15 SADC member states, four have yet to join the ICC. Mozambique is one of them. It signed the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2000, but is yet to ratify it.'

It said that Song also met with top government officials, including the Speaker of Parliament, Ms. Veronica Macamo, the Minister of Justice, Ms. Maria Benvida Levy, and the President of the Constitutional Council, Mr. Hermenigildo Gamito, all in an attempt to encourage Mozambique's ratification of the Rome Statute.

The statement quoted the ICC president as stressing that, 'we must never forget the plight of countless victims and survivors who continue to suffer from heinous acts such as mass murder, rape and torture every year.'

He also noted that, 'the ICC is the only permanent international court set up to prosecute individuals for these atrocities which tear at our social fabric.

'This is why the ICC is central to the international criminal justice movement and why the court's membership continues to expand in every continent of the world,' Song added.

The ICC is governed by the Rome Statute and is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.

The Rome Statute entered into force on 1 July, 2002, after ratification by 60 countries.

As of 1 August, 2011, the ICC has 115 states' parties.

Pana  08/08/2011