Minister Tsulukiani Addresses ICC Assembly, Unveils Plan to Nominate ICC Judge

Georgian Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani, who is visiting the Hague, addressed the 18th session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on December 2. Minister Tsulukiani expressed her hope for impartial investigation into Russo-Georgian War of 2008, as well as unveiled Georgia’s plans to nominate ICC judge in 2020.

Tsulukiani said in her address that eleven years after the Russo-Georgian war that “targeted Georgian population in a repeated way of ethnic cleansing and made civilians and military personnel victims of various war crimes,” there is “a strong consensus in Georgian society and expectations are very high that tangible progress will be achieved in the ICC investigation of these crimes.”

• ICC Prosecutor Seeks Investigation into August 2008 War
• ICC Judges Authorize Prosecutor to Investigate 2008 War
• ICC Prosecutor’s Statement on Launch of 2008 War Probe

“As a responsible member of the Rome Statute, we believe in the strong and efficient court system that has capacity to address the most heinous international crimes both in the context of Georgia investigation, but also well beyond across the globe,” Tsulukiani said, hoping that the “impartial investigation by the ICC Prosecutor’s Office will yield tangible results in enforcing international justice.”

“In many respects, the ICC investigation into Georgian situation may serve as litmus test for court’s  efforts in coping with challenges irrespective how powerful the other party is”, the Georgian Justice Minister underlined.

Speaking of the next year’s selection of six ICC judges and prosecutors, Minister Tsulukiani stressed it “will be a defining moment for the court for years to come.” “As a founding member of the court and the situation country, Georgia has a twenty-years-long track record of cooperation, vision and sensibility towards international justice,” Tea Tsulukiani added.

She then stated that “having these assets,” Georgia has decided to nominate candidate for the election of judges in 2020. According to Tsulukiani, a highly qualified Georgian candidate will be selected through a national procedure in accordance with the Rome Statute and requirements of ASP resolution on the nomination and election of judges.

“I see this opportunity to kindly ask all the delegations to support Georgia and its candidate… Georgia deserves to be represented in the judicial formation first time for what it did and what it can do together with the ICC and in the ICC,” she concluded.

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