International Criminal Court Essay

International Criminal Court

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International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court Cour pénale internationale (French)

States Parties (dark green) and states that have signed but not ratified the Rome Statute (orange) Seat Working languages Statute in force for Leaders  -   -  President Prosecutor Establishment  -   -  Rome Statute adopted Entered into force Website [1] www.icc-cpi.int 17 July 1998  1 July 2002  Song Sang-Hyun Luis Moreno Ocampo The Hague, Netherlands English and French 120 states from 1 July 2012: 121 states

International Criminal Court

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The International Criminal Court (commonly referred to as the ICC or ICCt)[2] is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression (although it cannot, until at least 2017,[3] exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression).[4][5] It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, entered into force[6]—and it can only prosecute crimes committed on or after that date.[7] The Court's official seat is in The Hague, Netherlands, but its proceedings may take place anywhere.[8]

The ICC in The Hague

As of April 2012, 121 states[9] are states parties to the Statute of the Court, including all of South America, nearly all of Europe and roughly half the countries in Africa.[10] The Statute will enter into force for its 121st state party, Guatemala, on 1 July 2012.[10] A further 32 countries[9], including Russia, have signed but not ratified the Rome Statute[10]; one of them, Côte d'Ivoire, has accepted the Court's jurisdiction.[11] The law of treaties obliges these states to refrain from “acts which would defeat the object and purpose” of the treaty.[12] Three of these states—Israel, Sudan and the United States—have "unsigned" the Rome Statute, indicating that they no longer intend to become states parties and, as such, they have no legal...