ICC Director: "Some Say Life Imprisonment Without Parole Is Torture... There Is No Definitive Answer"

Piotr Hofmanski, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), recently emphasized regarding the 'life imprisonment without parole' that our government is planning to introduce, "(Some) say it is torture," and added, "It cannot be said that any one opinion is correct."

Piotr Hofmanski, ICC Director [Photo by Yonhap News]

At a press conference held on the 15th at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Hofmanski responded to the question, "As a judge, what do you think about the death penalty and life imprisonment without parole?" by saying, "There is an opinion that the very environmental factor that deprives a person of hope is itself a form of punishment." He also added, "Even in Asia, there is no consensus, so each country is responding flexibly."

Earlier, on the 31st of last month, our government submitted a bill to the National Assembly to establish life imprisonment without parole (life imprisonment or life detention without parole) and to require the court to rule on the possibility of parole at the time of sentencing. However, opinions are divided across various sectors of society. The Court Administration Office expressed the view that "introducing life imprisonment without parole while retaining the death penalty requires further review."

Regarding the death penalty, Hofmanski explained, "There are various opinions from a human rights perspective," and said, "Some view that death row inmates spending too much time in prison without execution is a form of torture, and some countries, such as those in Europe, prohibit the death penalty." He added, "The ICC deals with war crimes or serious crimes but does not impose the death penalty," and further noted, "Even so, the ICC does not have the authority to require its member states to abolish the death penalty."

Hofmanski commented on Russia placing him on the wanted list, saying, "I think it is a political act," and added, "I will be cautious but will fulfill my duties as a judge."

Russia retaliated by placing Hofmanski and others on its wanted list after the ICC issued arrest warrants in March for President Vladimir Putin and others on charges of 'kidnapping Ukrainian children.'

When asked how the ICC would handle crimes committed in the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas in a balanced manner, Hofmanski said, "The ICC cannot have jurisdiction over conflicts between states or groups and only has jurisdiction over serious crimes committed by individuals." He added, "The situation over which the ICC has jurisdiction and intervenes concerns the Palestinian people and territory."

The ICC holds the position that it can investigate war crimes committed within Palestinian territory that has party status, as well as war crimes committed by Palestinian residents in non-party states such as Israel.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.