ICC

Subject: IR

Context:

U.S. President has issued an executive order authorizing sanctions against individuals involved in an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation over U.S. forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan

Concept:

• The International Criminal Court (“the ICC” or “the Court”) is a permanent international court established to investigate, prosecute and try individuals accused of committing the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, namely the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression
• On 17 July 1998, 120 States adopted the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court establishing the

Image Source: ICC, UN

• The International Criminal Court is not a substitute for national courts. According to the Rome Statute, it is the duty of every State to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes.
• The International Criminal Court can only intervene where a State is unable or unwilling genuinely to carry out the investigation and prosecute the perpetrators.
• The ICC is an independent body whose mission is to try individuals for crimes within its jurisdiction without the need for a special mandate from the United Nations.