International Criminal Court, ICC

: (Photo: Court of Justice)

Following the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, there were renewed calls for an international criminal court. The International Court of Justice in the Hague handles only cases between States, not individuals. As a result, on the 1^st July 2002 the United Nations established, as a missing link in the international legal system, the International Criminal Court. Individuals can be tried at this court.

Notes

The EU has welcomed the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
As of March 10, 2003, 90 countries have ratified the statute of the ICC.
The USA has, thus far, refused to accept the authority of the ICC and seeking bilateral agreements with individual countries to exempt its citizens from prosecution by the Court. The UN Security Council hence took the decision that until June 2004 American peace-keeping forces should not be subject to any prosecution by the ICC.

Links

http://www.icc-cpi.int/index.php

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