ICC shows that justice cannot be delayed in Iraq

In recent weeks, our newspapers and television screens have been filled with images of Iraqis at mass gravesites, desperately searching for answers. In the aftermath of the war, more proof is piling up every day of the atrocities carried out by the Hussein regime.

Most of this evidence, however, is not news. We already knew about the execution of 4,000 political prisoners in 1984, the deaths and disappearances of more than 100,000 Kurds during the Anfal campaigns of 1988, the use of 38 documented methods of torture against Kuwaiti prisoners in 1990, and the many other unfathomable crimes of the Baathists. We are right to be horrified by the recent unearthing of more evidence, but we must also learn the hard lesson of Iraq: there must be a better option than resorting to war.

That option is the new, permanent International Criminal Court (ICC), which will hold individuals accountable for widespread and systematic acts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity when their own countries are unwilling or unable to do so. The ICC is the world’s most significant attempt to put some teeth into the most basic human rights norms – that those who commit unimaginable atrocities must not be allowed impunity.

The ICC, created in response to the Adolf Hitlers and Saddam Husseins of the world, is designed to help victims seek justice and rebuild their lives.

A major part of this mission is the ICC’s Victims Trust Fund, which will give direct assistance to victims of crimes that are covered by the ICC. This trust fund can help communities pay for medical and psychological care for survivors, properly bury their dead, regain lost property, build local memorials, and in other ways rebuild the lives and hopes of survivors.

The ICC only has jurisdiction over crimes that occurred after July 1, 2002, but it can still help us make sure we do not repeat the same mistakes yet again. It is our chance to live up to the promise of no more Holocausts – no more Cambodias, Chiles, El Salvadors, Yugoslavias, Rwandas – no more Iraqs.

Unfortunately, our current government is ideologically opposed to this court and is actively seeking to undermine its important work. That is why many Americans, including ourselves, have joined the Victims Trust Fund Campaign. Through this campaign, U.S. citizens are making small donations to the trust fund and mailing copies of their checks to their senators to show the depth of their commitment to international justice for atrocities. After only a month, ordinary Americans have already raised thousands of dollars for the Victims Trust Fund – the very first contribution to this global cause.

Ever since the Nuremberg trials, Americans have been the champions of international justice and accountability. U.S. citizens are joining their voices with survivors and democratic nations around the world: The ICC is too important a leap forward for the United States to hold it back. Iraq has shown us that justice cannot be delayed. Through the ICC, we can avoid having to learn that lesson again, the hard way.

This commentary was submitted by the Orono Peace Group, Shirley L. Davis, coordinator, and Maine Physicians for Social Responsibility.