Samoa’s Experience with the International Criminal Court

Abstract

This presentation was originally delivered by the Attorney General of Samoa at the International Criminal Court Regional Advocacy Seminar, held in Canberra, Australia, on 6 August 2007. It provides rare insights into the negotiations leading up to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from the perspective of a small State. The presentation, moreover, describes the successful lobbying which preceded the election of a Samoan judge onto the ICC and the challenges in implementing domestic legislation.

Notes

1 The ICC Act 2007 was assented to by the Head of State of Samoa on 21 November 2007 and came into force on 1 July 2008.