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"id": 194963,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/194963/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Wako",
"speaker_title": "The Attorney-General",
"speaker": {
"id": 208,
"legal_name": "Sylvester Wakoli Bifwoli",
"slug": "wakoli-bifwoli"
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"content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that The International Crimes Bill be now read a Second Time. As is stated in the preamble, this Bill is to make provision for the punishment of certain international crimes, namely, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and to enable Kenya to co-operate with the International Criminal Court (ICC), established by the Rome Statute in the performance of its functions. So, basically, this Bill is about domesticating the Rome Statute under which the ICC was constituted. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we talk about the world being a global village. It is, indeed, becoming a global village, whether it is from the perspective of communications; that is, telephones, mobile phones, television and so on, but for institutions such as the national State and so on. Also, from the point of view of issues relating to law and order, there can be no state as such which does not have a criminal justice system. Therefore, to the extent that the international community is developing an international criminal justice system, we are indeed and truly becoming a global village. After the Second World War, we had what we call the Nuremberg Trials, which were constituted by the victors of the Second World War to try those who had been defeated and led in commission of crimes of grave nature. As you are also aware, those were ad hoc international criminal tribunals. In recent times, and even up to now, we have an ad hoc International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) in Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. I am pleased and proud to be moving this Bill because I do recollect that in 1980, I was part of the International Commission of Jurists. We called for an establishment not of ad hoc international criminal tribunals which are set up just to try cases arising out of a particular incident, but of a permanent court. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am glad to say that arising out of those discussions, both at non- governmental level and inter-governmental level, it culminated in the Rome Statute being adopted May 7, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 907 overwhelmingly in Rome by a vote of 120 States to 7 States on 17th July, 1998. I am proud to say that, actually, at that International Conference which established this Rome Statute overwhelmingly, I was privileged to serve as a Vice-President."
}