In the framework of the International Day of the Environment, next Wednesday, June 5th, a public event will be held at the Congress of the Argentine Nation to raise awareness about the urgent need for the country to incorporate the crime of ecocide into its criminal legislation.
During the event, the official delivery of the citizen signatures gathered through the petition “Argentina needs an Ecocide Law: Let environmental destruction be a crime!”, supported by thousands of people across the country, will be made to National Deputy Margarita Stolbizer.
On March 6th, National Deputy Margarita Stolbizer presented a Declaration Project to the Chamber of Deputies requesting the inclusion of the crime of ecocide in the Statute of the International Criminal Court. The Rome Statute is the document governing the ICC and currently includes the classification of 4 crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression crimes.
Towards a legal framework against ecocide
Argentina will host an international dialogue that will address the development of the national legal framework based on concrete experiences in countries where ecocide is already law.
Patricia Willocq, director of Stop Ecocide in French-speaking countries, who was part of the legislative process that led Belgium to incorporate this essential criminal figure, will be present.
The meeting, titled “Environmental Crimes and Ecocide: International Meeting on the Path to Law in Argentina,” will take place from 3:00 pm in the Auditorium Hall of the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Nation (HCDN). It will have the participation of international representatives such as Jojo Mehta, co-founder of Stop Ecocide; legislators from Colombia and Peru, and legal experts from Latin America.
The agenda includes panels on international experiences, analysis of local legislative projects, and a tribute to Pope Francis for his environmental commitment through the Laudato Si’ Movement.
During the event, a symbolic delivery of all the more than 47,000 signatures gathered at change.org/LeyEcocidio in support of Environmental Justice becoming law in our country will also take place.
A historic step towards environmental justice
The event will be attended by environmental organizations, academic references, specialists in environmental criminal law, and environmental defenders.
The bill drafted by Dr. Miguel Ángel Asturias, director of the Association of Researchers of Environmental and Climate Criminal Law (AIDPAC), which adapts the international definition of ecocide to the Argentine legal framework, will also be presented.
Argentina now has the opportunity to take a historic step towards the protection of the environment, joining countries like Brazil and Chile, which are already advancing with legislative projects to penalize ecocide. The citizens have spoken clearly: environmental destruction must be considered a crime.
