- The International Criminal Court (ICC) is still considering to prosecute Guinean military commanders over a 2009 massacre, now controlling whether the national judiciary is able to provide a fair trial in the case.
A delegation from the office of the prosecutor of the ICC begins a three-day visit to Guinea today to consult with judicial authorities and seek an update on local investigations into last year's bloody suppression by the military of opposition protests in which 156 civilians were killed.
The mission follows a trip to Guinea in February by the ICC's deputy prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, four months after the prosecutor's office made public its preliminary examination in Guinea, as the international community demanded accountability either through ICC or Guinean judicial proceedings following the September 2009 massacre and brutal assault against civilians.
Guinean authorities have been cooperating with the ICC prosecutor's office, as well as with regional and international organisations, the Court said in a statement today.
If the Court finds that the massacre will not be thoroughly investigated by the Guinean judiciary, or that a fair and apolitical trial cannot be held in the country, the ICC still holds an option to take the case to The Hague.
Guinea has been a state party to the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, since 14 July 2003. As such, the ICC has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide possibly committed in the territory of Guinea or by nationals of Guinea.
The ICC, which is based in The Hague, is an independent, permanent court that investigates and prosecutes persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes if national authorities with jurisdiction are unwilling or unable to do so genuinely.
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