Enforcement of sentences of imprisonment

Mauritius

Mauritius - ICC Act 2011 EN

PART I – PRELIMINARY

2. Interpretation

In this Act –

“prisoner” means a person who is in custody within or outside a prison –
(a) to serve a sentence; or

PART VII – ENFORCEMENT OF SENTENCE OF IMPRISONMENT

39. Enforcement of sentence of imprisonment

(1) Where the International Criminal Court, in terms of paragraph 1 of Article 103 of the Statute, designates Mauritius as a State in which a person upon whom the International Criminal Court has imposed a sentence of imprisonment shall serve that sentence, it shall inform the Attorney-General as soon as possible of such designation.

(2) The Attorney-General may accept the International Criminal Court’s designation on such conditions as he thinks fit and inform the International Criminal Court accordingly.

(3) (a) Where the International Criminal Court accepts any such conditions, any person on whom the International Criminal the Court has imposed a sentence of imprisonment shall, subject to Article 104, paragraph (b) of the Statute, be committed to a prison in Mauritius and a warrant for his detention lawfully issued by the International Criminal Court shall be deemed to be a valid warrant for the purposes of the Reform Institutions Act.
(b) Where the International Criminal Court decides to transfer a sentenced person referred to in paragraph (a) to a prison of another State, the Attorney-General shall, in consultation with the Commissioner of Prisons, arrange for the removal of that person from Mauritius in the custody of a person authorised by the International Criminal Court and section 19 shall apply to that person .

(4) (a) Subject to Articles 105 and 106 of the Statute, a person referred to in subsection (3) shall be subject to the Reform Institutions Act.
(b) A sentence of imprisonment referred to in subsection (3)(a) may only be modified by the relevant authorities in Mauritius at the request of the International Criminal Court, as a result of an appeal by the person serving the sentence to or review by, the International Criminal Court in terms of its Rules.
(c) The State shall, as far as possible, ensure that communications between persons serving a sentence referred to in subsection (3)(a) and the International Criminal Court can take place freely and confidentially .

Rome Statute

Article 103 Role of States in enforcement of sentences of imprisonment

1.

(a) A sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons.

(b) At the time of declaring its willingness to accept sentenced persons, a State may attach conditions to its acceptance as agreed by the Court and in accordance with this Part.

(c) A State designated in a particular case shall promptly inform the Court whether it accepts the Court's designation.

2.

(a) The State of enforcement shall notify the Court of any circumstances, including the exercise of any conditions agreed under paragraph 1, which could materially affect the terms or extent of the imprisonment. The Court shall be given at least 45 days' notice of any such known or foreseeable circumstances. During this period, the State of enforcement shall take no action that might prejudice its obligations under article 110.

(b) Where the Court cannot agree to the circumstances referred to in subparagraph (a), it shall notify the State of enforcement and proceed in accordance with article 104, paragraph 1.

3. In exercising its discretion to make a designation under paragraph 1, the Court shall take into account the following:

(a) The principle that States Parties should share the responsibility for enforcing sentences of imprisonment, in accordance with principles of equitable distribution, as provided in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence;

(b) The application of widely accepted international treaty standards governing the treatment of prisoners;

(c) The views of the sentenced person;

(d) The nationality of the sentenced person;

(e) Such other factors regarding the circumstances of the crime or the person sentenced, or the effective enforcement of the sentence, as may be appropriate in designating the State of enforcement.

4. If no State is designated under paragraph 1, the sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a prison facility made available by the host State, in accordance with the conditions set out in the headquarters agreement referred to in article 3, paragraph 2. In such a case, the costs arising out of the enforcement of a sentence of imprisonment shall be borne by the Court.

Article 105 Enforcement of the sentence

1. Subject to conditions which a State may have specified in accordance with article 103, paragraph 1 (b), the sentence of imprisonment shall be binding on the States Parties, which shall in no case modify it.

2. The Court alone shall have the right to decide any application for appeal and revision. The State of enforcement shall not impede the making of any such application by a sentenced person.