International Criminal Court

• Armenia’s parliament has approved a key step towards joining the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move that is set to escalate tensions with the ex-Soviet country’s traditional ally, Russia.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC)

• Governed by an international treaty called ‘The Rome Statute’, the ICC is the only permanent international criminal tribunal.
• It was created by the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (its founding and governing document), and began functioning on 1 July 2002 when the Statute came into force.
• Mandate– It investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community.
• The Rome Statute, grants the ICC jurisdiction over four main crimes:
  • The crime of Genocide
  • Crimes against Humanity
  • War crimes
  • Crime of Aggression
• HQ- The Hague, Netherlands.
• Members: 123 nations are States Parties to the Rome Statute and recognize the ICC’s authority.
  • India is not a party to Rome Statute along with US and China.
• Official languages (6): English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.
• The Court is funded by contributions from the States Parties and by voluntary contributions from Governments, international organizations, individuals, corporations, and other entities.
• The court has 18 judges, each from a different member country, elected to nonrenewable nine-year terms.
• The ICC only has jurisdiction over offences committed after the Statute’s entry into force on 1 July 2002.