Originally published on the CGS blog on February 13, 2009.
| Don Kraus with Judge Phillipe Kirsch |
It was so gratifying to see hundreds of people crowding into a Capitol Hill hearing room today to hear the president of the International Criminal Court. Between 200-300 people showed up to hear Judge Phillipe Kirsch talk about why the world needs the Rome Statute (which created the court) and why more nations should ratify it. He also talked about the reasons the Court was created and some of its achievements. The world needs a permanent international body that can hold accused war criminals to account, and he said the threat of prosecution has already prompted some rulers to change their ways.
Of course, his words were music to our ears; CGS has long been lobbying U.S. officials to become involved in the Court by re-signing the Rome Statute, by taking its place as an observer at the Assembly of States and at the 2010 Review Conference, and by assisting in the investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central Africen Republic.
Judge Philippe Kirsch is a Canadian lawyer and has served as the President of the International Criminal Court since March 2003. He has extensive experience in the establishment of the International Criminal Court, international humanitarian law, international criminal law and public international law.
In 1998 Kirsch served as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole of the Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court. He was also Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court (1999 to 2002). Kirsch holds a Bachelor of Civil Law and an LL.M. degree from the University de Montral (1972).
