Dr. Philippe Kirsch Delivers Conference as Part of OAS Lecture Series of the Americas

Dr. Philippe Kirsch, President of the International Criminal Court delivered a Conference as part of the OAS Lecture Series of the Americas

In the conference entitled " The International Criminal Court and the Fulfillment of International Justice ", Dr. Philippe Kirsch commented on the independence and impartiality of
the International Penal Court as well as the universal condition of its jurisdiction and verdicts.

In his lecture, Dr. Kirsh explained that the International Criminal Court came about as a response to the atrocities that were committed against men, women and children during the XX century, "atrocities that deeply disturbed the human conscience". He also pointed out that the Court’s impartiality is guaranteed by its
self-determining judges and officials. On the role of the court, Dr. Kirsh explained that "when national systems are incapable of acting, it is necessary to utilize the international justice to avoid impunity." However, he remarked, the Court is not a human rights organism and it does not have jurisdiction over national courts. He also commented that 120 countries ratified the Treaty of Rome, whose authority began on July 1 st , 2002.

In
the Dominican Republic , the videoconference was broadcast in FUNGLODE’s headquarters. A panel of experts was invited to discuss the topic, including the Executive Power’s legal counsel, Dr. Cesar Pina Toribio, Marino Vinicio Castillo from Vincho and Servio Tulio Castaños, former president of the Foundation for the Rule of Law and Justice, FINJUS by its Spanish acronym.

Dr. Cesar Pina Toribio announced the ratification of the Treaty of Rome by
President Leonel Fernandez thus including the Dominican Republic among the countries conforming the International Criminal Court.

The program held around this presentation is part of an agreement signed between the OAS and FUNGLODE/GFDD to broadcast and support the OAS Lecture Series of the Americas in the Dominican Republic.