Statement by Emma Bonino

Rome, 12 June 2012 - It is completely unacceptable that these four international officials, travelling on the official business of an independent, international judicial institution, have been detained. We call upon the Libyan authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally.

In a statement released last month, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court declared that it was closely following the situation in Mali since clashes erupted in January. It also indicated that it was considering the possibility of commencing, on its own initiative,a preliminary investigation in that country, in accordance with Articles 15 and 53(1) of the Rome Statute.

As Greece struggles to form a government, many in Europe are resigned to its exit from the eurozone, which they claim may be better than years of harsh austerity. There also seems to be a growing feeling that Europe is now strong enough to contain contagion from a Greek exit. In fact, we believe a Greek exit would be an economic and political catastrophe. It is far from certain that the current EFSF/ESM framework will be able to prevent contagion or deal with a bank run in Italy or Spain.

The conference will provide an opportunity to advance some proposals and to understand the plans of ministers in the coming weeks. The themes are different: expulsions, the decree on illegal work now under discussion in Parliament, integration policies, implementation of the "gipsy plan" approved by the Council of Ministers.

The Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty (NRPTT), in partnership with No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), convened on Monday 21 May a meeting on "Towards Justice for Bahrain", which was hosted at the United Nations Office (Palais des Nations) in Geneva.