Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-27-Speech-3-123"
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"en.20020227.7.3-123"2
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"Mr President, I come from a country that has already completed the process of ratifying the Rome Statute, thereby confirming the humanist tradition of attachment to justice which characterises the Portuguese people; the tradition of a country which abolished the death penalty 450 years ago and life imprisonment 118 years ago. The most important thing, however, is that we can see the values of justice and of the fight against impunity spreading to the five continents. Slowly, it is true, but spreading nonetheless. We are also pleased to note that the forthcoming establishment of the ICC will contribute on a different scale to the rejection of the death penalty.
It should be added that justice is only justice if it applies to everyone in the same way. We know that the ICC is not and never will be perfect. It will often appear to be dispensing ‘winners’ justice’, but, in addition to its normal jurisdictional function of investigating and prosecuting particularly serious crimes, it will also perform two other highly relevant tasks: one is to act as a deterrent to prevent further crimes being committed and the other is to provide compensation and reparations for the victims. It should also be pointed out that the International Court will only take action if national criminal authorities are not proceeding with the investigation and the prosecution of crimes, either because their laws do not cover such crimes or because the authorities are not able to proceed. We consider this to be a satisfactory solution as long as it is properly applied to the difficult problem of the conflict between the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and the sovereignty of the national criminal systems.
Mr President, the impartiality and the independence of the ICC are fundamental values and are part of the defence of what is the greatest asset of the European Union: the respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms, as well as the Rule of Law. We should, therefore, take every opportunity to praise the objectives that have led to the creation of the Court, and these objectives should not be disparaged under any circumstances."@en1
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