Malaysia has signed the instrument to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Wisma Putra in a statement today said Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah signed the Instrument of Accession to the Rome Statute of ICC today and the instrument was deposited to the secretary-general of the United Nations on the same day.

The ICC was established in 2002 and governed by the Rome Statute.

The ICC is the first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court, with the objective to end impunity against the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression.

"Malaysia’s accession to the Rome Statute reflects its commitment to combating international crimes for global peace and security,” said Wisma Putra.

Wisma Putra said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Feb 15 was informed by Saifuddin of the decision of the cabinet to accede to the Rome Statute of the ICC.

It also said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had previously written to acting Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Dec 26, 2018, informing the latter of the cabinet’s decision on the matter.

Wisma Putra said as a responsible member of the international community, Malaysia stood firm by its belief in the rule of law and acknowledges ICC’s complementary role to existing domestic laws.

"Malaysia stands ready to work together with all state parties in upholding the principles of truth, human rights, rule of law, fairness and accountability,” it said.

- Bernama