Ross ROBERTSON

Associate Disarmament Spokesperson                       

9 December 2012                                                       

MEDIA STATEMENT

Labour MP opens International Criminal Court
 
Labour Associate Spokesperson for Disarmament and Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) President, Ross Robertson, will this week join Hon Gianfranco Fini, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, in opening the 7th Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Rule of Law (CAP ICC) World Parliamentary Conference on Human Rights in Rome.
 
“This Conference provides PGA with an opportunity to bring the voice of more than 120 countries, who have worked for the past 23 to promote the establishment and the effective and independent operation of the International Criminal Court, to the Assembly,” Ross Robertson said.
 
“The focus of the conference will be to work on key priorities for the PGA ICC Campaign, and gather the opinion of some of the world’s best known leaders and experts in this crucial field of law and politics, bearing in mind the promise of “never again” – never again shall genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression be committed with impunity. 
 
“Two days of intense deliberations are ahead of us. It is our individual and collective commitment, as legislators to make sure that future generations will stop being victimised and affected by the inhumane and destructive force of international crimes.”
 
Ross Robertson said that in addition to the ICC Conference and in the presence of the President of the Italian Senate, Hon Renato Schifani, PGA will grant their annual Defender of Democracy Award to two human rights activists, - Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK (United States) and Ms Khady Koita, President of La PALABRE (Belgium/Senegal). 
 
“It is always very positive and uplifting to acknowledge those who lead in this way,” he said
 
ENDS

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Arguably Reassuring: Inspector-General Finds GCSB "Arguably" Legal

Of the 88 individuals:

• 15 cases involving 22 individuals did not have any information intercepted by GCSB.

• another four cases involving five individuals were the subjects of a New Zealand Security Intelligence Service warrant and the GCSB assisted in the execution of the warrants. The Inspector-General is of the view that there were arguably no breaches and the law is unclear.

• the Bureau only provided technical assistance which did not involve interception of communications, involving three of the individuals, so no breach occurred.

• the remaining cases involved the collection of metadata, and the Inspector-General formed the view that there had arguably been no breach, noting once again that the law is unclear.
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