German foreign minister marks 25th anniversary of Rome Statute

BERLIN

Germany’s foreign minister marked the 25th anniversary of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Sunday.

“When the Rome Statute became reality a quarter of a century ago, after long, tough negotiations, it finally helped a centuries-old idea to achieve an important breakthrough: peace through law,” said Annalena Baerbock.

“The foundation of our world community, international law, received a new stone with the International Criminal Court. States finally accepted that the most serious crimes affecting the international community as a whole cannot go unpunished,” she added.

Baerbock said the ICC is a “sharp sword” in the eyes of perpetrators, but “in the eyes of the victims, it is the hope that their suffering will not go unpunished.”

Referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine, she said “in the 21st century, no one can wage aggressive war and go unpunished. That is why we want to further develop international law together with partners so that it does justice to our realities in the 21st century.”