Kampala (June 4, 2010)

The world is facing a critical moment in international justice - especially for women--according to Nobel Laureates Wangari Maathai and Shirin Ebadi.  The two, along with Sudanese civil society and human rights activist, Suzanne Jambo, called for a global end to impunity at the first ever review of the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) this week in Uganda.

"To bring about peace, justice and reconciliation the world must punish perpetrators and hold them accountable.  The ICC brings hope to victims of the most horrific crimes the world has seen--and should serve as a model for states to strengthen their own justice systems," said Ebadi at a press conference in Kampala on Friday.  "This Review Conference is a critically important opportunity for states to reaffirm their commitment to global justice."

Wangari Maathai warned that Kenya will again descend into violence during the next elections unless there is support for the work of the International Criminal Court.  Maathai made her comments at a Nairobi press conference on Monday.  She will be bringing this message to governments around the world at the first Review Conference of the International Criminal Court in Uganda, being held from May 31 to June 11.

So far, 110 countries have ratified the Rome Statute that created the ICC-- including 30 in Africa.  Maathai noted that the ICC was born in the aftermath of some of the most horrific violence conflicts in the 1990s, including Rwanda and Liberia.

Read the full Media Release .

Read the full text of the press release with findings and recommendations here.

-- For immediate release to media --

March 3, 2010, 10 am EST

International Tribunal on Burma Calls for End to Impunity of Military Regime

(New York)  Nobel Peace Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams - along with human rights experts Dr. Heisoo Shin (Korea) and Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn (Thailand) - today released the findings and recommendations developed during the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women of Burma held this week in New York City.  The quasi-legal event featured compelling testimony - the first ever - of 12 women from Burma who have suffered rape, torture, and other crimes at the hands of the military junta.  The event highlighted the egregious human rights crimes, including rape as a weapon of war, and called for policymakers to demand a last resort: the International Criminal Court.

On Thursday December 31st 2009 the people of Gaza remembered the beginning of Operation Cast Lead - the 22 day assault during which 1400 people were killed and some 5000 injured by the Israeli military. The crimes against humanity and war crimes perpetrated by the Israeli government are remembered not only by the people of Gaza and by Palestine, but by millions around the world who were shocked and disgusted by this act of barbarity.

December 3, 2009

-- For Immediate Release --

Nobel Laureates Wangari Maathai, Shirin Ebadi, Jody Williams, Mairead Maguire, Rigoberta Menchu Tum and Betty Williams

World leaders will shortly gather in Copenhagen to negotiate a post-Kyoto 'climate deal'. Except for cynics who say otherwise, a binding agreement is possible. It's essential for the small-scale woman farmer in Africa, whose children are hungry and whose family has lived through yet another severe drought; the Inuit communities in Canada, who are watching the Arctic ice cap melt and their livelihoods disappear; the people of the Maldives, who are facing rising seas that could engulf much of their country by 2050; and families in California, Spain or Portugal, who are challenged by erratic and destructive wildfires.

In Copenhagen, negotiators have the opportunity to craft a fair, ambitious and legally binding deal.

Read the full text of the statement.      Watch the video.

November 24, 2009

--For Immediate Release--

More than 175 human rights and feminist leaders--including three Nobel Peace Prize winners and leaders of national and international women's organizations-- sent an Open Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today, urging her to condemn widespread violations of women's human rights in Honduras.  Read the full text of the letter.

Release political prisoners in Burma: Nobel Peace Laureates call for ‘real change’ in lead up to elections

--New Delhi, India, October 29, 2009.

Nobel Peace Laureates—Jody Williams (USA) and Mairead Maguire (Northern Ireland)—today called for governments in the region to use the upcoming elections in Burma to push the military junta of Burma harder on democratic rights.

"The Burmese in exile—like the Tibetans in exile—are building real democracy," said Jody Williams, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her efforts to ban landmines. "The people of Burma, who have suffered for so long, deserve nothing less."

"A world in which nuclear weapons are eliminated... is possible."

--Ottawa, September 24, 2009

In the wake of US President Obama's call at the UN Security Council for great commitment by nations towards disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons a group of 17 Nobel Laureates today issued a call for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

The group—which includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, F.W. de Klerk, Shirin Ebadi, Jody Williams, Mairead Maguire and John Hume—is calling for a comprehensive international ban on nuclear weapons.