1st December 2011 - Having completed 60 days following the deposit of the Instrument of Ratification, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court comes into force for the Maldives today. Maldives became the 118thState Party to the International Criminal Court, during the UN Treaty Event in September this year.
Maldives is the third South Asian country to become an ICC member after Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The ICC based in The Hague in Netherlands is an independent, permanent tribunal set up to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and can try cases relating to war crimes committed since July 2002.
The Maldives will be participating in the 10th Assembly of State for the Rome Statute being held in New York from 12-21 December for the first time this year.
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