International Justice Day: Giving Victims a Voice

Below is a brief summary of the remarks to be delivered by AMICC's Convenor, John Washburn, at the International Justice Day symposium at the United Nations on July 17, 2013


The International Criminal Court’s birthday calls with demanding power on the “conscience of humanity”. Victims no longer need to mourn that no one cares, no one knows. They see that neither power nor high position has protected the person most responsible for their torment from the Court. When the ICC convicts and decides, it declares to the world: “Here are the facts; here is what happened in this atrocity, in this crime. You cannot deny it; you cannot evade it; you cannot ignore it. You must acknowledge it.” All countries must lend their strength to this declaration by joining the Court – especially the United States.