Bangladesh is set to become the first southern Asian country to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its government ratified the Rome treaty, which has established the United Nations' first permanent tribunal. "By ratifying the Rome Statute, Bangladesh will become the first State Party in South Asia," ICC President Judge Sang-Hyun Song said in a statement released by the ICC's headquarters in The Hague Wednesday and quoted by DPA - the German Press Agency "I applaud its decision to join the growing commitment of states to end impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide," the ICC president said. Bangladesh is set to formally join the ICC on June 1, thereby raising the total number of ICC members to 111. The court's current Asian members are Afghanistan, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Japan, Jordan, Mongolia, South Korea and Tajikistan. Russia, the United States, China and India are among the world powers that either oppose the ICC or have yet to ratify its Rome Statute, which came into force on July 1, 2002. The ICC can only prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed after that date. Moreover, it can only exercise its powers when national courts are found to be either unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute such crimes.
