Crime court hurdle

Lawyers campaigning for the introduction of the international criminal court are now turning their attention to Scotland and Commonwealth countries in a bid to gather the 60 states needed to approve it.The International Criminal Court (ICC) Bill was passed just before the Westminster Parliament was prorogued, but it now needs to be ratified by the Scottish Parliament.By being among the 60 states, Britain will participate in the choice of ICC judges.

So far, 30 states have ratified the Bill.The creation of the court will mean terrorists and those in violation of human rights can be brought to justice in foreign jurisdictions.Tim Hancock, parliamentary officer at Amnesty International, said he was very pleased the Act had been passed by Westminster and hoped Scotland would soon follow suit.

'There are no alarm bells ringing at the moment,' he said, 'I expect the parliamentary process to be completed by autumn.' Michael Meyer, an in-house lawyer at the British Red Cross, said the UK could act as a catalyst for other countries to pass similar legislation.

'The ICC Bill, when it becomes law, could serve as a model for other states with a common law tradition,' he said.Both organisations spoke of the importance of other countries ratifying the Rome Statute creating the court so that an international criminal court could be set up as soon as possible.

'The ICC is not a global panacea,' said Mr Hancock, 'but it is a sign that the international community will not tolerate acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.'Andrew Towler