21 June 2004
QUOTES FROM NGOS ON SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1487
William Pace, Coalition for the ICC
“At a time when the US needs to show its support for international justice more than ever, its request for ICC immunity
for peacekeepers is ill-conceived,” said William Pace, Convenor of the 2,000-member NGO Coalition for the ICC. “By
bringing to justice individuals responsible for the greatest human rights crimes, the ICC represents an unprecedented
level of global consensus on the need to create universal legal standards. Security Council Resolution 1487 seeks to
undermine this significant step forward for international justice and discredits the Council. Council members should
demonstrate their commitment to justice and the rule of law by resisting renewal of this resolution.”
Richard Dicker, Human Rights Watch
“The bottom has fallen out of the coerced support for this resolution and the US administration should let it be,” said
Richard Dicker, Director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch. “There is no advantage for
Washington in dividing the Security Council when they will need the Council’s further support in Iraq. There can be no
compromise on a resolution that undercuts the equal application of the law to all.”
David Donat Cattin, Parliamentarians for Global Action
“How can the Security Council adopt a resolution that strives to provide immunity for certain individuals from the ICC
when the Council has repeatedly called for the respect of international humanitarian law in Iraq and elsewhere? Should
the resolution pass for a third time, the Council would blatantly contradict its own actions,” said Dr. David Donat
Cattin, Legal Advisor of PGA.
“On the one hand, the Security Council has recently affirmed its support for international institutions that uphold the
rule of law. Yet by renewing this resolution, the Council would be hindering the work of a significant body--the
ICC--whose goal is complementary to that of the United Nations in its efforts to protect human rights,” he said.
“Perhaps most discouraging is the message a renewal would send to the victims of gross violations of human rights, who
are eagerly awaiting the restoration of the rule of law in many corners of the world,” continued Dr. Donat Cattin. “If
the international community, led by the United States, permits immunity from ICC prosecution for some individuals, who
is to stop oppressive regimes and violent leaderships from requesting similar privileges?”
Heather Hamilton, Citizens for Global Solutions
“Reintroduction of this resolution is an unnecessary exercise that would serve only to waste valuable U.S. diplomatic
capital in the Security Council -- influence
that would be far better used to ensure success in Iraq,” said Heather B. Hamilton, Vice President for Programs,
Citizens for Global Solutions.
“For each of the past two years, the U.S. has had to exert a great deal of pressure to ensure passage of the resolution,
and each year it has been passed only under U.S. threats to veto all peacekeeping missions. Each year, UN Security
Council members and the wider international community have stated that they consider it illegal under international law
and that they do not intend to renew it indefinitely. The abstentions from Security Council members, including two
permanent members of the Council, should not therefore come as a surprise to the Bush administration.”
Fiona McKay, Human Rights First
“The growing opposition to renewal of Resolution 1487 shows that states desire an end to special treatment and
exceptionalism,” said Fiona McKay, director of Human Rights First’s International Justice Program. “For its part, the
U.S. should heed the call to end blanket exemptions from the ICC and withdraw its request for the resolution’s renewal.”
Jeanne Sulzer, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
“How can the US administration dare, particularly in light of reported abuses in the Abu Ghraib prison, to negotiate for
the future impunity of their soldiers while the whole world expects justice for victims?” said Jeanne Sulzer, Director
of the International Justice Program at Fédération Internationale des ligues des Droit de l’Homme (FIDH). “FIDH welcomes
and joins the Secretary General’s call to the Security Council not to renew this resolution.”
Yvonne Terlingen, Amnesty International
“This is the time for the Council to stand up for principle and the rule of law, and particularly for the essential
values enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,” said Yvonne Terlingen, Amnesty International’s Representative at
the UN. “We call for the defeat of this illegal resolution once and for all.”
ENDS