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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | May 2005 
Nation Votes To Join International Court
 Lilia Saúl - El Universal
| | While lawmakers said the move was a positive step for Mexico, they lamented that the United States has not adopted the treaty. |
Mexico City - Lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously voted to join the International Criminal Court, allowing Mexicans who are accused of crimes against humanity to be tried in The Hague.
Senators from all parties heralded the move, which was made in the nation's Permanent Commission that holds sessions while the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate are in recess.
"This is a great step for our country to adopt this treaty," said Sen. Jesús Ortega of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). "There will be no more impunity."
By adopting the treaty, Mexicans accused internationally of violating human rights or committing serious crimes can be forced to stand trial.
It is unclear if charges can be brought against the alleged perpetrators of the government's so-called "dirty war" against leftist guerrilla and student organizations in the 70s and 80s. Hundreds of activists disappeared during the period, and the Special Prosecutors Office for Past Crimes has so far been unsuccessful in pinning charges on former President Luis Echeverría and other former officials.
While lawmakers said the move was a positive step for Mexico, they lamented that the United States has not adopted the treaty.
"Who commits war crimes?" said Sen. Antonio García Torres of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). "Strong countries commit them, but they don't sign the treaty. Mexico is not a warlike country."
The road to approval has been long: President Vicente Fox introduced the initiative calling for a constitutional reform in 2001. The reform then had to be approved by both chambers of Congress and a majority of state legislatures before a formal vote on adopting the treaty could take place.
The Senate must ratify the treaty in September, but with Wednesday's vote the nation now formally abides by the agreement. |
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