[Date]

[Name]
[Address]

Dear Ambassador [name here],

I write to you as a citizen of [country here] to express my deep disappointment at President Bush's May 6th unsigning of the International Criminal Court Treaty (ICC). This act has caused great concern the world over and is seen as an attack on a new mechanism for justice that many all over the world support.

Coming from a country in which human rights abuses and limited access to justice have been a fact of life for many years, I cannot understand the American position. The ICC offers a mechanism for dealing, justly and equitably, with the worst war criminals and human rights abusers known to humankind. Justice and reparations for the harm done by war and oppression is a key step in victims and societies as a whole to recover and move forward in a peaceful future. Further, the work of the ICC will make future abusers think twice before committing atrocities against innocent people.

Many of the arguments made against the Court by U.S. government are grounded in half-truths easily disproved by a careful look at the Statute. By saying that the United States does not support the existence of a permanent international legal mechanism to hold governments and individuals accountable, we are left to wonder whether we can count on the U.S. to continue to be a partner in the quest for international justice and cooperation. It is of course up to the U.S. to decide whether or not to ratify a given treaty, however, for the U.S. to try to dissuade and sanction other countries from ratifying, or to try to impede the good functioning of the Court, is morally indefensible.

As a citizen of the world concerned with promoting understanding and cooperation in the international community, I ask you to use your good offices to represent my views to the State Department, so that we can enjoy a world in which the universal rule of law is held as the standard to which all countries must adhere.

Most sincerely,