Congress approves authorizing ratification of four amendments to the Rome Statute

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would have Spain ratify four amendments to Article 8.2 of the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the International Criminal Court. Three were adopted in 2017 and one in 2019.
2. The amendments add war crimes: using biological weapons, weapons whose fragments cannot be detected by X-rays, and blinding laser weapons. They also punish intentionally starving civilians as a method of war in non-international conflicts.
3. The single article authorizes Spain's ratification of those four amendments, which expand the powers transferred to the International Criminal Court.
4. The law would take effect the day after its publication in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (official state gazette).

Who it affects

• The Spanish state: Spain could ratify the amendments and become bound by them.
• People who commit war crimes: New conduct could be prosecuted, such as using banned weapons or starving civilians.
• The International Criminal Court: It expands the cases it can pursue.

Words worth knowing

Corte Penal Internacional (CPI)

International Criminal Court: an international court that tries individuals for the gravest crimes, such as genocide and war crimes.

Estatuto de Roma

Rome Statute: the 1998 treaty that created the International Criminal Court and defines the crimes it can try.

Ley Orgánica

Organic law: a Spanish law requiring a special majority in Congress, reserved for major matters such as international relations.

Ratificación

Ratification: the act by which a state confirms an international treaty and commits to comply with it.

It summarizes the text passed by the full Congreso. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries