International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (French: Cour Pénale Internationale ; commonly referred to as the ICC or ICCt ) is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide , crimes against humanity , war crimes , and the crime of aggression (although it cannot currently exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression). The creation of the ICC perhaps constitutes the most significant reform of international law since 1945. It gives teeth to the two bodies of international law that deal with treatment of individuals: human rights and humanitarian law. The court came into being on 1 July 2002 — the date its founding treaty , the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court , entered into force — and it can only prosecute crimes committed on or after that date. The official seat of the court is in The Hague , Netherlands , but its proceedings may take place anywhere. As of March 2010 , 111 states are members of the Court , and a further 37 countries have signed but not ratified the Rome Statute. However, a number of states, including China , India , Russia and the United States , are critical of the court and have not joined. The ICC can generally exercise jurisdiction only in cases where the accused is a national of a state party, the alleged crime took place on the territory of a state party, or a situation is referred to the court by the United Nations Security Council . The court is designed to complement existing national judicial systems: it can exercise its jurisdiction only when national courts are unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute such crimes. Primary responsibility to investigate and punish crimes is therefore left to individual states. To date, the court has opened investigations into five situations : Northern Uganda , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Central African Republic , Darfur ( Sudan ), and the Republic of Kenya . The court has indicted fourteen people ; seven of whom remain fugitives, two have died (or are believed to have died), four are in custody , and one is appearing voluntarily before the court. The ICC's first trial, of Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga , began on 26 January 2009. On 24 November 2009 the second trial started, against Congolese militia leaders Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui . International Criminal Court is sometimes abbreviated as ICCt to distinguish it from several other organisations abbreviated as ICC . However, the more common abbreviation ICC is used in this article. Article 17 of the Rome Statute . Article 20 of the Rome Statute .

The current headquarters of the ICC in The Hague The International Criminal Court ( ICC or ICCt ) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal that sits in The Hague in the Netherlands . The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide , crimes against humanity , and war crimes . The ICC is intended to complement existing national judicial systems and it may therefore only exercise its jurisdiction when certain conditions are met, such as when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals or when the United Nations Security Council or individual states refer investigations to the Court. The ICC began functioning on 1 July 2002, the date that the Rome Statute entered into force. The Rome Statute is a multilateral treaty which serves as the ICC's foundational and governing document. States which become party to the Rome Statute, for example by ratifying it, become member states of the ICC. Currently, there are 123 states which are party to the Rome Statute and therefore members of the ICC. The ICC has four principal organs: the Presidency, the Judicial Divisions, the Office of the Prosecutor, and the Registry. The President is the most senior judge chosen by his or her peers in the Judicial Division, which hears cases before the Court. The Office of the Prosecutor is headed by the Prosecutor who investigates crimes and initiates proceedings before the Judicial Division. The Registry is headed by the Registrar and is charged with managing all the administrative functions of the ICC, including the headquarters, detention union, and public defense office. The Office of the Prosecutor has opened nine official investigations and is also conducting an additional nine preliminary examinations. Thus far, 36 individuals have been indicted in the ICC, including Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony , Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir , Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta , Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi , and Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo . Since all of the official investigations have been in Africa, the Office of the Prosecutor has been accused of selective enforcement and Western imperialism towards African countries. The official languages of the ICC are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish and the working languages are currently English and French International Criminal Court is sometimes abbreviated as ICCt to distinguish it from several other organisations abbreviated as ICC. However the more common abbreviation ICC is used in this article.

Permanent international tribunal The premises of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. The ICC moved into this building in December 2015 The International Criminal Court ( ICC or ICCt ) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal that sits in The Hague , Netherlands . The ICC has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide , crimes against humanity , war crimes , and the crime of aggression . It is intended to complement existing national judicial systems and it may therefore exercise its jurisdiction only when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals. The ICC lacks universal territorial jurisdiction, and may only investigate and prosecute crimes committed within member states, crimes committed by nationals of member states, or crimes in situations referred to the Court by the United Nations Security Council . The ICC began functioning on 1 July 2002, the date that the Rome Statute entered into force. The Rome Statute is a multilateral treaty that serves as the ICC's foundational and governing document. States which become party to the Rome Statute become member states of the ICC. As of November 2019, there are 123 ICC member states . 42 states are non-party, non-signatory states. The ICC has four principal organs: the Presidency, the Judicial Divisions, the Office of the Prosecutor, and the Registry. The President is the most senior judge chosen by his or her peers in the Judicial Division, which hears cases before the Court. The Office of the Prosecutor is headed by the Prosecutor who investigates crimes and initiates criminal proceedings before the Judicial Division. The Registry is headed by the Registrar and is charged with managing all the administrative functions of the ICC, including the headquarters, detention unit, and public defense office. The Office of the Prosecutor has opened 12 official investigations and is also conducting an additional nine preliminary examinations. Thus far, 45 individuals have been indicted in the ICC, including Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony , former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir , Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta , Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi , Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo , and DR Congo vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba . The ICC has faced a number of criticisms from states and civil society, including objections about its jurisdiction, accusations of bias, questioning of the fairness of its case-selection and trial procedures, and doubts about its effectiveness. The official languages of the ICC are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish and the working languages are currently English and French International Criminal Court is sometimes abbreviated as ICCt to distinguish it from several other organisations abbreviated as ICC. However, the more common abbreviation ICC is used in this article.

Intergovernmental organization and international tribunal Not to be confused with the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The International Criminal Court ( ICC or ICCt ) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague , Netherlands . It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide , crimes against humanity , war crimes and the crime of aggression . The ICC is distinct from the International Court of Justice , an organ of the United Nations that hears disputes between states. Established in 2002 pursuant to the multilateral Rome Statute , the ICC is considered by its proponents to be a major step toward justice, and an innovation in international law and human rights . However, it has faced a number of criticisms from governments and civil society groups, including objections to its jurisdiction, accusations of bias, Eurocentrism and racism , questioning of the fairness of its case selection and trial procedures, and doubts about its effectiveness. The official languages of the ICC are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish and the working languages are currently English and French International Criminal Court is sometimes abbreviated as ICCt to distinguish it from several other organisations abbreviated as ICC. The more common abbreviation ICC is used here.

Intergovernmental organization and international tribunal Not to be confused with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Cricket Council . It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide , crimes against humanity , war crimes , and the crime of aggression . The ICC is distinct from the International Court of Justice , an organ of the United Nations that hears disputes between states. Established in 2002 pursuant to the multilateral Rome Statute , the ICC is considered by its proponents to be a major step toward justice, and an innovation in international law and human rights . The Court has faced a number of criticisms . Some governments have refused to recognize the court's assertion of jurisdiction, with other civil groups also accusing the court of bias, Eurocentrism and racism . Others have also questioned the effectiveness of the court as a means of upholding international law. The official languages of the ICC are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish and the working languages are currently English and French.