URC - Bangladesh

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court calls on Bangladesh to take all necessary steps to accede to the Rome Statute of the ICC as soon as possible.

If Bangladesh ratifies by the 1 March 2010 it can be a voting member of the upcoming ICC Review Conference. Bangladesh actively took part in the 1998 United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court held in Rome. In 1999, the Government of Bangladesh signed the Statute of the ICC, the first country in South Asia to have signed the treaty.

The Review Conference to be held in May 2010 in Kampala will celebrate the establishment and advances of the first permanent, independent court capable of investigating and bringing to justice individuals who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and will set new directions in the common aspiration for the rule of law.

Take Action Now!

Write a letter to the President to encourage him to ratify the Rome Statute as soon as possible!

You might like to use the following letter as a guide. Please be sure to �cc� all contacts below when sending your letters.

Send your letter to:

Mr. Md. Zillur Rahman
Honorable President
The People�s Republic of Bangladesh
Banga Bhaban
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Ms. Sheikh Hasina
Honorable Prime Minister
Prime Minister�s Office
Old Sangsad Bhaban
Tejgaon, Dhaka-1215, Bangladesh
Tel: +880 2 8151157 (PS-I to PM), 8155700, 8111599 (Parliament)
Email: [email protected]

Mr. Justice M. M. Ruhul Amin
Honorable Chief Justice of Bangladesh
Supreme Court Premises
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
Fax: +880 2 9565058

Barrister Shafiq Ahmed
Honorable Minister
Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs
Bangladesh Secretariat
Building: 4 (7th Floor), Room No-736,
Bangladesh Secretariat
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
Tel: +880 2 7160577, 9550016, 7164693
Fax: +880 2 7168557
Email: [email protected]

Dr. Dipu Moni
Honorable Minister
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Segun Bagicha
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
Tel: +880 2 9562852, 9562954
Fax: +880 2 9562188
Email: [email protected]

Mr. Mahbubey Alam
Honorable Attorney General for Bangladesh
Office of the Attorney General
Supreme Court Premises
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
Tel: +880 2 9562868
Fax: +880 2 95616568
Email: [email protected]

Your Excellency,

We are writing to you on behalf of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC), a global network of over 2500 member NGOs in 150 countries, campaigning for a fair, effective, and independent Court and increased access to justice for victims of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes.

On this occasion, we respectfully request you to ensure Bangladesh�s ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC as soon as possible. The Rome Statute came into force in July 2002 and now has the support of well over half of the world�s nations. As of July 2009, 110 states have ratified or acceded to the treaty, and 139 are signatories.

As part of our Universal Ratification Campaign for the month of January, the Coalition is encouraging Bangladesh to heighten its ratification efforts and, as a signatory state to the Rome Statute, continue the engagement it started at the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court.

In May 2010, the ICC will hold its first Review Conference which will consider, among other things, amendments to the Statute including the adoption of a definition for the crime of aggression. Given the impact and repercussions that this meeting will have for the future of international justice, we urge your government to ratify the Rome Statute by 1 March, 2010, so as to ensure full participation as a State Party during the Conference.

Global support for the Rome Statute is crucial to building, strengthening, and ensuring the success of the first permanent, independent court capable of investigating and bringing to justice individuals who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and, when defined at the Review Conference, the crime of aggression. We acknowledge the efforts of your government to address heinous crimes committed during the War of Liberation in 1971 and hope that this commitment to justice extends to supporting the fight for international justice by formally joining the ICC, participating in the Review Conference and in judiciary and other elections at the Court.

Therefore, we urge your Excellency to use your good offices to ensure prompt treatment of the ratification dossier as soon as possible, and by doing so express its ongoing support for justice and human rights.

Sincerely,

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