INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT - INTERNATIONAL
News:
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin over
Ukraine ‘war crimes’
What's in the news?
● The
International Criminal Court announced an arrest
warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war crime accusation of
unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.
Key takeaways:
● The
Hague-based ICC said it had also issued a warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova,
Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, on similar charges.
International Criminal Court (ICC):
● The
International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental
organization and international tribunal.
● It
is the first international criminal court that is permanently established.
● Headquarters:
Hague.
Role:
● It
looks into and prosecutes those accused
of heinous offences such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes,
and acts of aggression.
● ICC
is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for international crimes.
● The
International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent organization and not part of the United Nations.
Funding:
● Although
the Court’s expenses are funded primarily by States Parties, it also receives
voluntary contributions from governments, international organizations,
individuals, corporations, and other entities.
Languages:
● There
are six official languages namely:
English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish
● Two
working languages: English and French.
Membership & Rome Statute:
● Before
the ICC became functional in 2002, its founding treaty was adopted by the UN
General Assembly in 1998 in Rome, Italy, thereby making it the Rome Statute.
● To
become a member of the ICC or State party to the Rome Statute, countries have to sign the statute and ratify it
under their respective legislatures.
● 123 countries
are currently members of the ICC, with African countries making up the largest
bloc.
● Notably, countries
including India, China, Iraq, North Korea, and Turkey never signed the Rome
Statute, while others including the US, Russia, Israel, and Syria signed, but
never ratified it.
Functioning:
● The
ICC carries out its investigations through the Office of the Prosecutor and has
18 judges. Both the judges and prosecutors hold non-renewable nine-year terms.
● There
are pre-trial, trial, and appellate benches in the ICC.
● Non-member
states can also be investigated in three ways:
○ if
alleged crimes were perpetrated by non-members in member states that occurred
after 1 July 2002.
○ if
the non-members accept the court’s jurisdiction.
○ when
the Security Council authorizes it.