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KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- Southeast Asian region displays a poor record on the ratification of the Rome Treaty, which establishes the International Criminal Court (ICC), says Malaysian Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan.

She said at the moment, only 105 countries are parties to the treaty, with Malaysia among those which have yet to make a ratification.

"We remain hopeful that the government will soon sign the Rome Treaty," she told reporters here today.

She also said that the Malaysian Bar would conduct a one-day free admission workshop on Friday to raise awareness about the ICC.

Co-Deputy Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of the Bar Council, Andrew Khoo said during the workshop, speakers would elaborate on the different aspects of the ICC.

Among the speakers at the workshop is N. Sivananthan, a Malaysian criminal lawyer who has been appointed into the List Counsel of the LCC. He will share his experience as a defence counsel in international court proceedings.

"The workshop is an excellent opportunity for Malaysian lawyers who are interested in this field. At the moment, there are only two Asian lawyers in the ICC, one is from the Philippines and the other is our own Mr N. Sivananthan," Khoo said.

An overview of ICC including its latest development, its past and ongoing challenges, will be presented by ICC's Principal Counsel for Victims, Paolina Massidda.

The ICC is an independent, permanent court that tries person accused of "the most serious crimes of international concern" namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Todate, the ICC had opened investigations for situations in northern Uganda, Congo, the Central African Republic and Darfur.

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