Rome Statute as instrument for ensuring observance of human rights in Transnistria

The civil society recommends the Parliament of Moldova not to delay the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court that was signed in 2000. It considers that the implementation of the Statute all over the country can provide additional levers for ensuring the respect for the human rights in the Transnistrian region, including by holding accountable the persons who are to blame for such violations, representatives of NGOs said during public debates centering on the problems faced by the Transnistrian young people, who are drafted into the military units of the unconstitutional regime by force, which were held at Info-Prim Neo Agency. “The ratification of the Rome Statute will bring visible advantages to the Moldovan people, especially the residents of Transnistria that is controlled by the unconstitutional regime, in defending the rights and fundamental freedoms,” said Viorel Barbanoua, a member of the National Coalition for the International Criminal Court. “Unlike such institutions as the European Court of Human Rights, which condemns the states for violating the human rights, the International Criminal Court that is also called the International Criminal Tribunal or the Hague Court condemns persons for committing crimes and wrongdoings against the man and the mankind,” Viorel Barbanoua stressed. According to him, the Transnistrian leaders can also be held responsible for their actions against the population and the law. The Hague Court delegates its own experts to the examined territories and has an important set of instruments for imposing its authority. Ion Manole, the head of the association Promo-Lex, said the Rome Statute are a new guarantee for preventing military conflicts. At the same time, the head of the Reintegration Office Ion Stavila considers that the Rome Statute does not represent a general panacea for remedying the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region. “Moldova signed a number of conventions that cannot be applied in Transnistria because the Moldovan authorities do not have control over it,” Ion Stavila said. Viorel Barbanoua believes that Moldova postponed the ratification of the Rome Statute because it does not control the Transnistrian region. However, the given document could be adopted by the end of this year, he said. The Rome Statute were signed by the Government of Moldova in 2000. In 2007, the Ministry of Justice submitted the document to the parliamentary commission for foreign policy and European integration for approval. The commission approved it. The ratification of the Rome Statute constitutes a point in the Moldova EU Plan of Action. The Rome Statute was ratified by 111 countries and signed by 129 states. Presently, the International Criminal Court is examining a series of cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and is investigating three heads of state. The National Coalition for the International Criminal Court that was founded recently by a number of NGOs calls upon the Moldovan authorities to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The National Council of NGOs launched a series of public debates themed “Current problems in areas of vital importance: convergent and divergent views”. Representatives of the central and local public authorities and of the NGO sector, officials responsible for human rights, justice, education, youth, the Transnistrian conflict, the mass media and other fields will be invited to take part in the weekly debates that are aimed at informing the Moldovan population and the press as well as the foreign organizations about the problems faced by the society and at identifying possible solutions and joint actions.