The International Criminal Court is a permanent, independent international tribunal established to investigate and prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. It was created by the Rome Statute, a multilateral treaty adopted in 1998 that entered into force on July 1, 2002, and it is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands. The ICC acts as a court of last resort, exercising jurisdiction only when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute qualifying crimes, a principle known as complementarity, through a structure including the Presidency, Judicial Divisions, an independent Office of the Prosecutor, and a Registry. Its jurisdiction is limited to states parties to the Rome Statute and situations referred by the UN Security Council; several major powers, including the United States, Russia, and China, are not parties, which has led to disputes over the Court's authority to issue arrest warrants against their nationals or leaders, and some African Union member states have at times criticized the Court for disproportionately targeting African leaders. The ICC is distinct from the International Court of Justice: the ICJ hears disputes between states and cannot try individuals, while the ICC prosecutes individuals for crimes; the ICC did not replace the ICJ, the UN's own judicial organ, when it was created.
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This source names China directly: "the United States, Russia, and China, are not parties, which has led to disputes over the Court's authority to issue arrest warrants against their nationals or leaders, and some African Union member..."
Source International Criminal Court (Cornell LII)
Genocide as the Convention defines it is also prosecuted individually through the International Criminal Court.
Source Genocide Convention (Wikipedia)
Violations of the Conventions' grave breach provisions are among the war crimes the Court, established decades later, has jurisdiction to prosecute.
Source The Geneva Conventions (ICRC)
The principles of individual criminal responsibility they codified are the direct historical and legal precedent for the Court's own jurisdiction.
Source Nuremberg Principles (UN International Law Commission)
This source names Russia directly: "powers, including the United States, Russia, and China, are not parties, which has led to disputes over the Court's authority to issue arrest warrants against their nationals or leaders, and some..."
Source International Criminal Court (Cornell LII)
This source names United States directly: "several major powers, including the United States, Russia, and China, are not parties, which has led to disputes over the Court's authority to issue arrest warrants against their nationals or..."
Source International Criminal Court (Cornell LII)
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Influenced By
The Nuremberg principles' recognition of individual criminal responsibility under international law is a foundation the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court built on.
Nuremberg Trials, Events The Nuremberg trials are widely cited as the direct historical precursor to the International Criminal Court.
Sources
1. International Criminal Court (Cornell LII)
Cornell Law School, Legal Information InstituteInstitution type, descriptionQuote, Institution type, description
The International Criminal Court is a permanent, independent international tribunal established to investigate and prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
2. International Criminal Court (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead paragraphQuote, Lead paragraph
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organisation and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands.
International Criminal Court (ICC) (EBSCO Research Starters)
EBSCO Information ServicesQuote
The ICC did not replace the International Court of Justice, the judicial arm of the UN, nor does it replace the criminal justice systems of individual nation-states.
The Geneva Conventions (ICRC)
International Committee of the Red CrossAssociated With: Geneva ConventionsView the Source Nuremberg Principles (UN International Law Commission)
United Nations International Law CommissionAssociated With: Nuremberg PrinciplesView the Source International Criminal Court: About the Court
International Criminal CourtIn Group: International Courts and Tribunals, Page textQuote, In Group: International Courts and Tribunals, Page text
The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
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