Armenia’s Parliament votes to join International Criminal Court (ICC)

Subject :IR

Section: International organisation

Context: Armenia’s Parliament voted to join the International Criminal Court,

More about the news:

Armenia’s Parliament has voted to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has strained its relationship with Russia.
Russia had called Armenia’s move an “unfriendly step” after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin.
Armenia reassured Russia that Putin wouldn’t be arrested if he entered the country.
The decision comes amid tensions between Armenia and Russia due to a 2020 war with Azerbaijan, and Armenia’s alignment with the West. It remains unclear how this move will affect their relationship and Armenia’s involvement in Russia-led alliances.

Some facts about International Criminal Court (ICC):

The International Criminal Court is a permanent court to prosecute serious international crimes committed by individuals.
It tries crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression.
The court was established to fight global impunity and bring to justice criminals under international law, regardless of their rank or stature.
It is different from the United Nations’ International Court of Justice, also at The Hague.
The Head Quarter of ICC is in The Hague, The Netherlands
Statute :Before the ICC became functional in 2002, its founding treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1998 in Rome, Italy, thereby making it the Rome Statute.

How one can become member of ICC:

To become a member of the ICC or State party to the Rome Statute, countries have to sign the statute and ratify it under their respective legislatures.
123 countries are currently members of the ICC, with African countries making up the largest bloc.
Notably, countries including India, China, Iraq, North Korea and Turkey never signed the Rome Statute.
Others including the US, Russia, Israel and Syria signed, but never ratified