Justice & security

Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) Guidance

The Government introduced the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) Guidance [PDF document, opens in a new window] to ensure that our overseas security and justice assistance work meets our human rights obligations and our values.

Lord Howell announced publication of the guidance to Parliament on 15 December 2011.

The Guidance is part of a package of improvements that responds to the lessons of 2011 and the Government’s wider commitment to strengthen and uphold the record of the United Kingdom as a defender and promoter of human rights and democracy.

This Guidance will assist HMG staff who are called upon to advise on security and justice matters overseas. It will ensure greater consistency in the human rights approach to security and justice assistance overseas across HMG; it will assist in the identification and consideration of applicable legal obligations; and it will ensure that our security and justice activities, whilst meeting HMG’s national security priority, are also consistent with a foreign policy based on British values including human rights.

The OSJA Guidance already applies to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is currently being rolled out to other government departments. An internal review of the guidance will take place in April 2012.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

The UK is a strong supporter of the International Criminal court. We were instrumental in the establishment of the Court and believe its establishment is a major milestone in the development of international justice.

Based in The Hague, the ICC is the first ever permanent court with the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals accused of the most serious crimes of international concern: genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

The Court was established by the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court. The ICC is an independent international organisation, and is not part of the United Nations system.

The Court's expenses are funded primarily by States Parties, although it also receives voluntary contributions from governments, international organisations, individuals, corporations and other entities.

Before the ICC was established, the International Community set up a range of 'ad hoc' tribunals in response to specific situations which were designed to be in existence for a limited time period. They include:

As these Tribunals are coming to the end of their trial activity, the international community is now focusing on how to maintain key functions such as witness protection and provision for trials of those who are still fugitive once the full Tribunal has been wound up.

As the ICC is a permanent international institution, it is able to respond to a wide range of situations as and when they arise and will always be able to support justice and hold those responsible to account, whenever they are brought before the Court, without needing to make special provision.