Ecuadornews:
The president of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, told the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Chile Eboe-Osuji, that his country has begun a stage of openness and transparency so that crimes can be properly judged.
“In Ecuador, we have begun a new stage of respect, tolerance and dialogue, which we are constantly reproducing in all sectors of society,” he said, welcoming the ICC leader who will open a seminar in Quito over the 20 years of the Rome Statute.
Moreno announced on Monday the declassification of confidential information on the alleged kidnapping of a former legislator in Colombia and for which they are being investigated for their alleged participation by intelligence officials of the Rafael Correa government, as well as three other emblematic cases not yet resolved.
The Ecuadorian leader affirmed that under his Administration, “the society has been reconciled, that all instances of transparency have been opened up so that crimes, acts of corruption and impunity can be properly judged.”
He said he was “completely open to receiving suggestions” from bodies such as the ICC and will continue “that fight against impunity, to ensure that rights are respected and that those who commit acts that harm human beings are not left unpunished.”
For his part, Eboe-Osuji thanked the Ecuadorian Government for hosting the meeting that will take place between next Thursday and Friday at the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), located north of Quito.
He commented that the seminar “will explore ways to achieve greater cooperation between the South American countries and the ICC” and highlighted Ecuador’s support since joining the international tribunal in 2002.
“Since then and up to now the support (from Ecuador) has increased both in cooperation, as well as in political and diplomatic support,” said the Nigerian judge, who gave as an example of such cooperation the fact of hosting so “warm and robust” “The seminar.
In an interview with Efe on Monday, Eboe-Osuji, who is visiting the country for the first time, expressed confidence that the seminar would allow the cooperation of the organization he leads with South America to be boosted.
“The region is very important for the Court, because all of its countries are part of the treaty and this implies an additional” commitment “of South America to the postulates of the Rome Statute, said Eboe-Osuji. (I)
