For immediate release - 30th January
Press release from:
Kurdish Human Rights Project
Turkey urged to accede to International Criminal Court
Turkish authorities are to be presented with a petition [1] urging Turkey to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 6 February 2004.
Turkey is the only member of the Council of Europe not to have ratified the statute, which provides for the establishment of a permanent court to bring perpetrators of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity to justice. The future of the ICC and its effectiveness depends on widespread ratification of the statute.
The petition was co-ordinated by Amnesty International. It is to be presented to Turkish authorities by AI Secretary General Irene Khan on 6 February 2004.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
[1] The petition to urge Turkey to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is available:
English: http://web.amnesty.org/pages/icc-010104-petition-eng
Turkish: http://www.amnesty-turkiye.org/
For further information please contact:
Kerim Yildiz, Executive Director / Dr. Anke Stock, Legal Officer / Rochelle Harris, Public Relations Officer
