Student activists: Ratify Rome Statute, use ICC to bring MH17 killers to justice

PETALING JAYA: Ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will bring justice to the victims of the MH17 tragedy, say student activists. 

The students had launched an online petition on Change.org to call for the government to accede to the Rome Statute. 

They are the same university students who on Sunday (April 7) leaked an executive report which was against signing the treaty, allegedly sent by four academicians to the Malay Rulers. 

It is believed that the report was the reason behind the government’s decision to retract acceding to the Statute. 

In the online petition, the activists questioned how justice could be served for the passengers of the MH17 plane which was shot down by a Russian missile. 

“MH17 was shot down using a Russian missile and when Malaysia tried to bring the issue to the United Nations, it was vetoed and dismissed by the world superpower, Russia itself. 

“Who would be able to mete out justice to all 298 lives that were lost in the MH17 crime which was shot by a Russian missile?

“The answer is the ICC. It has been five years, why have the perpetrators not been brought to the ICC?

“The answer is because Malaysia is not a signatory of the Rome Statute,” the activists said in the petition.

The activists said arguments that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong can be prosecuted by the ICC are baseless as Malaysia has no history of crimes against humanity. 

The four crimes that are prosecuted by the ICC are genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression. 

The Agong also cannot be prosecuted as he is a constitutional monarch, they added, and all his duties are carried out on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. 

“The Agong does not have the power to declare war. What is there to fear?” they said. 

They added that other nations with constitutional monarchs such as Belgium, Cambodia, Denmark and Japan have ratified the treaty. 

The nine student activists are Asheeq Ali Sethi Alivi, Ainina Sofia Adnan, Nurhuda Ramli, Suhail Wan Azahar, Ahmad Taqiyuddin Shahriman, Wong Yan Ke, Chong Kar Yan, Nik Azura Nik Nasron and Siti Nurizzah Mohd Tazali.