By: Gašper Blažič
President Nataša Pirc Musar recently called for the urgent independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel and Hamas. She described statements aimed at pressuring the independence of the ICC and its prosecutor as unacceptable and reprehensible, whatever that might mean according to her.
“The International Criminal Court was established precisely because of the need to send a clear message to all individuals, including state leaders, that they are not immune from committing crimes against humanity. A crime is a crime. There is simply no excuse for committing crimes against humanity. Every suspicion of a crime must be proven,” she stated. She added that this is a universal principle that applies in every democratic country and also applies to the ICC. “And once again: a suspect for committing crimes against humanity cannot have immunity and cannot be above the law,” she emphasised in a statement released by her office.
They added that Slovenia is a state party to the Rome Statute and has supported the ICC since its establishment. The International Criminal Court is highlighted as an important civilisational achievement in the fight against impunity for those most responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
On Monday, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Galant, and three Hamas leaders. They are accused of committing war crimes in the attack on Israel and the offensive in Gaza. Both Israel and Hamas have criticised Khan’s decision. U.S. President Joe Biden also criticised the request, stating that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. His administration even expressed a willingness to work with Congress on sanctions against the ICC. Similarly, Germany assessed that the prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants creates a false impression of equivalence.
However, it seems that “sameness” is a central theme in Slovenian foreign policy and the Slovenian political leadership. This is also evident from the reactions on the X network and published video clips.