Brasília, April 9, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Sílvia Sterner, the Brazilian judge who is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said yesterday (8) that, as one of the signers of the Statute of Rome, Brazil should do its utmost to speed passage of the proposal for an extraordinary law to complement the Penal Procedure Code. The extraordinary law establishes punishments for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

"Brazil has already ratified the Statute, and, starting that moment, it assumed obligations and norms to be followed," Sterner recalled. Brazil is one of a group of 89 countries that have already signed the Statute. (DAS)