INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT IS THE WORLD CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Abstract

We are celebrating today the twenty years anniversary of theRome Statute for creation the international criminal court and it has really been the creation of the new universe of international criminal justice or the world criminal justice. The International Criminal Court (ICC), 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 whennational courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals or when the United Nations Security Council or individual states refer situations to the Court. This article assesses the structure and operation of the International Criminal Court by setting out a case for the defence of the Court, a case for its prosecution and a verdict. Defenders of the Court suggest it has had a positive impact because: it has accelerated moves away from politics and towards ethics in international relations; it goes a long way towards ending impunity; it is a significant improvement on the previous system of ad hoc tribunals; it has positive spill-over effects onto domestic criminal systems; and because the courage of the prosecutor and trial judges has helped to establish the Court as a force to be reckoned with.