First ICC Prosecutor Selected

(New York) - The election of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s first chief prosecutor marks an historic moment in the struggle for justice and accountability for atrocities. 
 
The ICC Assembly of States Parties (ASP) is set to confirm Argentine prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo's nomination. The ASP will meet at UN headquarters in New York from April 21-23.  
 
Moreno Ocampo is best known for his role as deputy prosecutor in the trials of Argentina's former military junta. Currently, he is a Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School.  
 
"The election of an experienced prosecutor and Harvard professor is further proof that the court will be a serious, responsible and effective institution," said Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch's international justice program. "The eyes of the world will be on the prosecutor as he helps bring the court to life."  
 
Human Rights Watch said the prosecutor of the ICC will be one of the court's most important officials, charged with selecting the court's first cases.  
 
Hundreds of petitions have already been sent to the court. Human Rights Watch urged the prosecutor to take the time necessary to hire the most qualified staff and to develop internal guidelines before initiating any prosecutions.  
 
Eighty-nine states have joined the court. The United States continues to oppose it.  
 
"The U.S. should look at the prosecutor's work over the first years of his tenure, said Dicker. "Instead of a "rogue" prosecutor with an anti-American agenda, they'll see an independent but responsible professional."  
 
The 89 members of the court are set to elect Moreno Ocampo by consensus in a show of unity behind his candidacy.  
 
Moreno Ocampo is a board member of Transparency International, an anti-corruption organization, as well as the president of its chapters in Latin America and the Caribbean.  
 
Luis Moreno Ocampo is scheduled to hold a press conference at the United Nations on Tuesday, April 22. He will likely take office in June.