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	International Criminal Court heading towards universality, says chief judge by Judge Philippe Kirsch   30 November 2007   The International Criminal Court (ICC) is now over halfway towards achieving its goal of universal acceptance, the court’s President, Judge Philippe Kirsch, told the Assembly of States Parties today, calling for ratifications and accessions by the world’s countries to continue.   Judge Kirsch told the Assembly’s sixth session, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, that the Court has made “significant progress” as it nears the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute in July 1998, which led to the tribunal’s founding.   “The Court is fully operational,” he said. “Investigations and proceedings are ongoing in four situations. Victims are participating in proceedings and the Trust Fund for Victims is functioning.   “Most importantly, it is increasingly recognized that the Court is having the impact for which it was created by the States Parties by contributing to the deterrence of crimes and improving chances for sustainable peace.”   Some 105 countries have become States Parties to the ICC, with Japan and Chad the latest to do so, and Judge Kirsch called for the number of accessions and ratifications to keep rising.   “Working together, we can ensure that the Court makes lasting and sustainable contributions to justice, peace and accountability around the world.”   He also stressed that the Court, which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands, regards the establishment of permanent premises as a priority, and added that the Court has held fruitful dialogue on this issue with the Dutch Government.   In addition, he called for the world’s countries to demonstrate greater support for the ICC, whether in practical cooperation measures such as the arrest of suspects or by advocating publicly on behalf of the Court.   ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo used his address to detail the work of his office, particularly in the cases it is investigating concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), northern Uganda and the Sudanese region of Darfur.   He urged States Parties to play their part to ensure the arrest of the men who have already been indicted by the Court: Joseph Kony and four other commanders of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda, and two figures from the Darfur conflict.   “In Rome, States created a new system of justice where the worst criminals would not be allowed in the sharing of power any longer [and] where the use of massive violence against civilians would neither be rewarded nor forgotten,” he said.   “The Rome system was built upon the lessons learned from the last century when the international community failed, failed to protect entire populations,” he added, cautioning that “the lack of arrest can affect the credibility and long-term deterrent impact of the Court.”
	The Innocence project by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld USA   The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal clinic affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University and created by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld in 1992. The project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. As a clinic, law students handle case work while supervised by a team of attorneys and clinic staff.   Most of our clients are poor, forgotten, and have used up all legal avenues for relief. The hope they all have is that biological evidence from their cases still exists and can be subjected to DNA testing. All Innocence Project clients go through an extensive screening process to determine whether or not DNA testing of evidence could prove their claims of innocence. Thousands currently await our evaluation of their cases.   DNA testing has been a major factor in changing the criminal justice system. It has provided scientific proof that our system convicts and sentences innocent people — and that wrongful convictions are not isolated or rare events. Most importantly, DNA testing has opened a window into wrongful convictions so that we may study the causes and propose remedies that may minimize the chances that more innocent people are convicted.   As forerunners in the field of wrongful convictions, the Innocence Project has grown to become much more than the “court of last resort” for inmates who have exhausted their appeals and their means. We are a founding member of The Innocence Network, a group of law schools, journalism schools and public defender offices across the country that assists inmates trying to prove their innocence whether or not the cases involve biological evidence which can be subjected to DNA testing. We consult with legislators and law enforcement officials on the state, local, and federal level, conduct research and training, produce scholarship and propose a wide range of remedies to prevent wrongful convictions while continuing our work to free innocent inmates through the use of post-conviction DNA testing.   We hope that this site will raise awareness and concern about the failings of our criminal justice system. It is a facet of our society that eventually touches all of its citizens. The prospect of innocents languishing in prison or, worse, being put to death for crimes that they did not commit, should be intolerable to every American, regardless of race, politics, sex, origin, or creed. Visit the related web page
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