Civic Solidarity Platform’s statement in connection with the prospect of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

The Civic Solidarity Platform expresses its support for the Republic of Armenia’s intention to join the International Criminal Court (ICC). We are confident that this step will contribute to strengthening the international legal system and expand the possibilities for holding accountable individuals responsible for crimes falling under the jurisdiction of the ICC, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The ratification of the Rome Statute by the Parliament of Armenia will reinforce both the international security system and the national judicial system of the Republic of Armenia.

At the same time, we are concerned about statements previously made by some officials of the Republic of Armenia regarding the possibility of limiting the jurisdiction of the ICC after the ratification of the Rome Statute. There are plans to sign a bilateral agreement with Russia and thereby exempt Russian citizens who have ICC arrest warrants issued against them from prosecution on Armenian territory.

We consider it categorically unacceptable to grant “special privileges” to certain individuals or citizens of specific countries. We firmly believe that such a selective approach undermines the fundamental principles of international law, does not align with the national interests of the Republic of Armenia, and hinders the pursuit of justice.

We call upon the National Assembly of Armenia to ratify the Rome Statute without any reservations or limitations, and we urge the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to unconditionally fulfill the obligations outlined in it, including complying with the decisions of the International Criminal Court regarding representatives of third countries and, when necessary, fully cooperating with ICC bodies.

Signatures:

1. Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House (Belarus);

2. Belarusian Helsinki Committee (Belarus);

3. Bir Duino (Kyrgyzstan);

4. Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine);

5. Center for Participation and Development (Georgia);

6. Crew Against Torture (Russia);

7. Freedom Files (Poland);

8. Helsinki Association Armenia;

9. Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor (Armenia);

10. Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (Poland);

11. Human rights center “Viasna” (Belarus);

12. Human Rights Center (Georgia);

13. Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan;

14. Human Rights Centre ZMINA (Ukraine);

15. Human Rights Defense Center “Memorial” (Russia);

16. Human Rights in Mental Health-FGIP;

17. IDP Women Association “Consent” (Georgia);

18. Institute Respublika (Ukraine);

19. International Partnership for Human Rights (Belgium);

20. Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law;

21. KRF Public Alternative (Ukraine);

22. Legal Policy Research Center (Kazakhstan);

23. Macedonian Helsinki Committee;

24. Netherlands Helsinki Committee;

25. NGO “Citizens’ Watch” (Russia);

26. Norwegian Helsinki Committee;

27. Promo LEX (Moldova);

28. Public Verdict (Russia);

29. Swedish OSCE-network (Sweden);

30. Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation.