Guatemala, July 18, 2012. The accession of the Republic of Guatemala to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) entered into force on July 1, and it was published in the El Diario de Centro América—the gazette of Guatemala—on July 17. As a result, the ICC will now have jurisdiction to try Guatemalans accused of committing genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

The publication underscores the commitment of the Guatemalan Government to faithfully fulfill and enforce the provisions set forth therein. In addition, it stipulates that, in accordance with Article 87(1)(a) of the Statute, the cooperation requests of the ICC must be sent through diplomatic means to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala. In addition, pursuant to Article 87(2) of the Statute, the cooperation requests of the ICC and the supporting documents must be drafted in Spanish or, if not, they must be accompanied by a translation.