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ICCTurnsAttentiontoMali

Prosecutorexercisespowertoinitiatehisowninvestigations.

ByBlakeEvans-Pritchard-InternationalJustice-ICCACRIssue321,25May12

TheprosecutoroftheInternationalCriminalCourt,ICC,hasturnedhisattentiontoMali,wherehewilllookintoaspateofrecentatrocities,usingspecialpowersthatallowhimtolaunchaninvestigationonhisowninitiative.

AnalystshavelargelywelcomedProsecutorLuisMoreno-OcamposmovetoinvestigatethesituationinMali,andbelieveitcouldhelpdeterfurthercrimesinthecountry.ButtheprosecutorspowertoinitiateaninvestigationwithoutareferralfromtheUnitedNationsSecurityCouncilorfromanICCmemberstateknownas"propriomotu",Latinforonhisownimpulse,isunderscrutinysincehisfirstfull-scaleprobe,inKenya,hasmetwithresistanceandlimitedcooperationfromthatcountry sgovernment.

InastatementreleasedonApril24,theICC sOfficeoftheProsecutor,OTP,announcedthatitwaslookingintothepossibilitythatwarcrimes,crimesagainsthumanityandgenocidehadbeentakingplaceinMali.

Theprosecutorsconcernsstemfromtheviolencethatsweptthecountryatthebeginningoftheyear,asaTuaregrebelgrouplaunchedanuprisinginthenorth,leadingtoclashesalsoinvolvingArabandIslamistmilitias.AmilitarycoupinMarchleftMaliinchaos,withthenorthofthecountryoutsideeffectivegovernmentcontrol.

IftheICCsprosecutoristomovetoafullinvestigationinMali,theremaybevaluablelessonstobelearntfromtheOTPsexperienceinKenya.

Inthatcase,theprosecutorchosetoinvokehispropriomotupowersratherthanwaitforareferralfromtheKenyanstatefollowingtheviolencethateruptedafteradisputedpresidentialelectioninlate2007.

Hehasonlysucceededingettingthechargesagainstfouroftheoriginalsixindicteesupheld.Assoonasthesixsuspectscharged,adebatebeganwithinthecountryoverwhetherKenyashouldleavetheICC.Itultimatelychosetoremainasignatorytothecourtsfoundingtreaty,theRomeStatute,butitsstancehassouredthegovernmentsrelationshipwiththecourt.

ThomasObelHansen,anassistantprofessorofinternationallawattheUnitedStatesInternationalUniversityinNairobi,remainspessimisticabouttheprospectsofinternationaljusticeinKenya,andpointsoutthatthecountryispavingthewayfornon-cooperationbyothers.

Inlegalterms,theKenyangovernmentcantdoanythingmoreabouttheICCinvestigation,andsotheyaretryingtocreatenoisearoundtheinvestigation,hesaid.Th

latestexampleofthisistopersuadeotherAfricancountries,includingUgandaandTanzania,togetonboardwiththeinitiativeofaregionalcourtthatcantryinternationalcrimes.

Hansenbelievesthatallowingthislackofcooperationtocontinuewouldsetaworryingprecedent.

Thebestwayforwardwouldbefordonors[to]makeitcleartothegovernmentthatnon-cooperationwiththeICCwouldhaveseriousconsequences,saidHansen.Oncetheyrealisetheywillbehitinthewallet,thepoliticalelitemightbewillin

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gtosacrifice[Uhuru]Kenyattaandothersuspects.

SENDINGOUTDETERRENTMESSAGE

Ontheotherhand,theveryfactthattheprosecutorspropriomotuinvestigationhascausedsomanywavesinKenyamayenhancetheICCsreputationandleverage.

Iftheprosecutorhadgonethroughhisentiretenurewithouthavingopenedhisowninvestigation,Ithinkthatwouldhavesentoutaverybadmessage,KevinJonHeller,aseniorlectureratMelbourneLawSchoolinAustralia,said.Ithinkthattheprosecutorwantedtomakeitclearthatheispreparedtolaunchinvestigationsonhisownwhenhefeelsitsnecessary.

WhiletheICCsdeterrenteffectremainedanopenquestion,Hellersaid,itwascertainlyessentialforwould-beperpetratorstorealisethattheprosecutormightturnhisattentiontothem.

CorinneDufka,aseniorresearcherwiththeadvocacygroup,HumanRightsWatch,hasbeenfollowingthesituationinMaliclosely,andwelcomestheOTPsannouncement.

HumanRightsWatchpublishedareportattheendofApril,basedonfirst-handtestimonyfromwitnessestotheviolence,whicharguesthatarmedgroupsinthenorthhavecommittedwarcrimes,includingrapeandtheuseofchildsoldiers,al

thoughDufkaacknowledgesthatitiuishardtoassessthescaleoftheseabuses.

WhiletheviolationsweandothersaredocumentinginMaliarelikelynotwidespread,theyareneverthelessextremelyworrying,shesaid.Numerousfactorssuggesttherightsenvironmentforcivilianscouldmarkedlydeterioratetheproliferationandcross-bordermovementofweaponsandarmedcombatants,thepoliticalcrisisandattendantabusesofpowerinthesouth,andthepotentialengagementofcivilianmilitiagroupsresponsibleforatrocitiesinpastTuaregrebellions.

TheICCisrighttosignalitsconcernearlyon.

Theprosecutorhastakenstepstoassessthegravityofabusesreportedinotherpartsoftheworld,including,Afghanistan,Colombia,Georgia,GuineaandHondu

ras,buthasnotproceededtothepointofrequestingjudgestoauthoriseaformalinvestigation.HehasalsolaunchedaninvestigationinCtedIvoirewhichhasacceptedICCjurisdictiontoaddressallegedcrimes,eventhoughitisnotaRomeStatutesignatory.TheICChassincebroughtchargesagainstformerpresidentLaurentGbagbo.

TheMaliprobeisonlyattheinitialfact-findingstage,andsomesaythattheinvestigationmayneverproceedanyfurther.

Butobserverssaythatisnotthepointsimplybyannouncingitsintentiontoconsiderapropriomotuinvestigation,theOTPissendingastrongsignaltotheperpetratorsofviolencethattheycouldendupontrialinTheHagueifabusescontinue.

TheannouncementbytheICCissomethingweareseeingmoreandmorefrequently,GillesYabi,WestAfricaprojectdirectorfortheInternationalCrisisGroup,said.Basically,insteadofopeningaformalinvestigation,theICCissuesastatementthattheyarewatchingaparticularcountrywherehumanrightsviolationsarereportedtobetakingplace,asawaytotrytoinfluencethosewhoarecommittingtheseatrocities.

Dufka,whohasspenttimeinMalitalkingtopeopleontheground,saysthereisevidencethattheICCsannouncementmaybeinfluencingtheTuaregseparatistNat

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ionalMovementfortheLiberationofAzawad,knownbyitsFrenchacronymMNLA.

Thejuryisstilloutontheextenttowhichthismaytranslateintothemintroducingbettersystemsofdisciplineandcontrolintotheirranks,butthereisgoodevidencethattheICCdoesatleastfeatureontheirradar,shesaid.

TheMNLAisnottheonlyrebelforceinthenorth,andothersmaybelesssusceptibletoICCwarnings.

TheICCsannouncementisveryimportantfortheMNLA,whichhasaclearpoliticalagendaandwantstobeseenasaseriousorganisationthatisnotinvolvedinanyradicalIslamicmovement,saidYabi.ButmoreextremistgroupsactiveinnorthernMaliarelesslikelytopaymuchattentiontotheICC.

ThemostsignificantoftheseistheIslamistgroupAnsarDine,whichisaccusedofhavinglinkstoal-QaedacellsinNorthAfrica.

CONTROVERSYOVERPOWERSTOINITIATEPROBE

Formany,Kenyashowedthattheprosecutorwasseriousaboutusinghispropriomotupowerswhentheneedarose.

TherightwasincludedintheRomeStatuteonlyafterheateddebate.TheUnitedStates,whichultimatelydidnotsignuptotheICC,arguedagainstinvestingth

iskindofauthorityinaninternationalcourtwithoutthesafeguardofaUNSecurityCouncilreferral.Asaresult,theprosecutorneedstosecureapprovalfromtheICCspre-trialchamberbeforeopeningapropriomotuinvestigation,whichhedoesnothavetodoifthecaseisreferredbyamemberstateortheUN.

Realistically,therewasnevergoingtobeasituationwherethepowerofpropriomotuwasntincludedintheRomeStatute,Hellersaid.Soeventuallythedebateturnedtothemoreintelligentquestionassumingwegivetheprosecutorthispower,howdowebestensurethatdecisionsbytheprosecutoraremadeintelligently?

Somewonderwhetherpre-trialapprovalissufficientasaninstitutionalcheck.BothHellerandHansenareconcernedthatthefirstuseofpropriomotuwasinAfrica,giventhatwasalreadythefocusofallcasesbeforetheICC.Selectinga

countryonanothercontinentwouldhavebroadenedtheICCsscopeandcouldthushavegivenitmorelegitimacy.

Statepartiesfailedtocomeupwithanyrealguidanceabouthowtheprosecutorshoulddeployhispowersofpropriomotu,saidHansen.Thishastraditionallybeenviewedasanasset,becauseitsseenasevidencethattheprosecutoristrulyindependent.ButtheproblemnowisthatthiscompletelackofguidancemeansthecourtisopentocriticismalmosteverywhereitgoesWhyusandwhynotthem?

Atthemoment,theonlyguidancefortheuseoftheprosecutorspowersisthattheyshouldbeinvokedforthemostseriouscrimes.

Moreguidancewouldcertainlybeanassetfortheprosecutor,eventhoughsomema

yclaimthatthisbringsintoquestiontheOTPsindependence,Hansensaid.

Decidingwhetheronecrimeismoreseriousthananothercouldbesubjective.QuestionshavebeenaskedastowhethertheallegedcrimesintheKenyancaseareseriousenoughtobebroughtbeforetheICC.Duringpre-trialproceedings,oneofthecourtsjudgesdisagreedwithhistwofellow-judges,andarguedthattheywerenot.However,appealsjudgeshavesincerejectedaformalchallengeofthecourtsjurisdictioninKenya,filedbythefourdefendants.

Hansenseestheprimaryfunctionofinternationaljusticeasdeterrence,andtha

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tmeanstheICCneedstobeabletoprioritisecrimesinordertofulfilthatfunction.Hence,hewouldliketoseemoreconsensusonthecriteriafordeterminingwhichcrimesdeservetheOTPsattention,whetherthemeasureusedisthenumberofvictims,theimpactonsocietyorsomeotherfactor.

Nonetheless,asHellerpointsout,openingtheKenyancasewasacrucialstepinpromotingtheICCsdeterrentrole,puttingthecourtinabetterpositiontoconsiderinvestigationsinothercountrieslikeMali.

Kenyamarkedaseachange[fortheICC]fromjustcountingupthevictimsinasituationtoamorequalitativeunderstandingofthesituationalgravity,"saidHeller."Somecrimesaresuchafundamentalaffronttothebasicvaluesoftheinternationalcommunitythattheyneedtobeprosecuted,eveniftheydontproducethenumberofvictims.

Thissendsoutamessagetoperpetratorsthatyoudontneedtoleavehundredsofbodiesinthewake.Ifyouviolatethefundamentalrightsandinterestsoftheinternationalcommunity,thenyouwillbeinvestigated.

BlakeEvans-PritchardisanIWPRtrainerinTheHague.