EU urges Nepal govt to accede to Rome Statute
The European Union has urged the Nepal government to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as early as possible.
Representatives of the EU in Nepal met with foreign secretary Gyan Chandra Acharya on Thursday as part of encouraging the government to ratify the Rome Statute.
“EU fully supports the ICC which was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The EU is committed to working with international partners to prevent such crimes and putting an end to impunity,” a statement issued by the British Embassy, which holds the EU presidency, said.
“The EU urges the Government to now make final arrangements to accede to the Rome Statute as soon as possible,” Paul Bute, Chargé d’Affairs of the British Embassy, speaking on behalf of the EU, said.
The EU has welcomed the unanimous vote of Nepal's Parliament to urge the government to accede to the International Criminal Court.
The National Coalition for the International Criminal Court (NCICC), the joint forum 106 human rights groups in Nepal, had earlier called on the government to accede to this founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
105 countries have already joined the ICC, which is the first permanent international court capable of trying individuals accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.
Currently, only seven Asian countries - Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Japan, Timor-Leste, and Tajikistan- are state parties to the ICC. In contrast, the majority of states in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean have joined the ICC.