On Sunday, Senator Coons marked the birthday of the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in 1469 in what is now Lahore, Pakistan. Guru Nanak preached equality among all people, and espoused the principles of hard work and community service. His birthday is considered one of the holiest days in the Sikh faith.
"As Sikhs all across our country celebrate the life Guru Nanak Dev Ji, I join them in honoring his vision of a society built on equality, compassion, and justice," Senator Coons said. "I send my best wishes to Sikhs in America and all around the world on this holy day."
According to the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, with more than 700,000 Sikhs living in the United States.
Senator Coons, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Bankruptcy and the Courts, spoke on the Senate floor Thursday about the government shutdown's impact on the Judicial Branch of the United States, which will run out of reserve funds next Tuesday. As Subcommittee chair, Senator Coons is responsible for oversight of the nation's federal court system and has been reaching out to federal judges and clerks over the last week to find out how they are planning to move forward after funds are depleted Tuesday. On Thursday, the head of the Third Circuit, which includes Delaware, announced that almost all personnel would be deemed "essential" — a decision Senator Coons endorsed in his speech.
As the International Criminal Court (ICC) trials of Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto and former radio executive Joshua Sang begin at the Hague, the Court’s future credibility and effectiveness in delivering justice for victims of state-sponsored atrocities is in jeopardy. Ruto and Sang – as well as current President Uhuru Kenyatta, whose trial will begin in November – are accused of committing crimes against humanity during the widespread, ethnically-tinged violence that followed Kenya’s disputed December 2007 presidential election. In Kenya, the prosecution of high-level officials by the ICC has prompted a motion by the Kenyan Parliament calling for withdrawal from the ICC and cessation of cooperation with the Court. Kenya has been an ICC member state since 2005.
Though the current trials will move forward regardless of Kenya’s decision, the Kenyan government’s energetic campaign to discredit the ICC among its African peers has successfully damaged the ICC’s standing in Africa. The campaign paints the ICC as a “foreign” institution that targets Africans while ignoring the transgressions of Europeans and others guilty of heinous crimes. The African Union has openly supported the efforts of Kenya, Sudan, and others to undermine the ICC’s credibility and effectiveness.
It’s important to remember, however, that the ICC began investigating the Kenyan cases only after the Kenyan government failed to meet the commitments made by its own president to either investigate and prosecute those responsible for the post-election violence or refer the cases to the ICC. The ICC represented the only avenue for justice for more than 1,100 Kenyans killed and hundreds of thousands displaced by the post-election conflict; just as it was the only entity capable of prosecuting President Bashir of Sudan for the genocide that left several hundred thousand dead in Darfur.
The ICC is not a panacea nor should it be seen as a first resort. However, the participation of Kenya and the majority of African states in the ICC has demonstrated, in the words of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, a dedication “to tipping the balance in favor of justice and away from impunity.”
Unfortunately, that commitment is waning. African Union snubs and active campaigns by indictees to intimidate witnesses have already weakened the ICC’s ability to effectively prosecute cases. If Kenya withdraws, other states may follow, leaving millions of victims of atrocities with limited hope of recourse when their national institutions fail them. That would indeed be a tragedy. As President Obama so eloquently stated in 2010, “In Kenya and beyond, justice is a critical ingredient for lasting peace.”