International Criminal Court (ICC)
Jurisdiction, Structure, and Limitations
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the world's first permanent international criminal tribunal, established by the Rome Statute, which entered into force on 1 July 2002. It is headquartered at The Hague, Netherlands. The ICC has jurisdiction over four categories of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression — but only for crimes committed after 1 July 2002. Critically, the ICC exercises complementarity: it steps in only when national courts are "unwilling or unable" to genuinely prosecute. The ICC is not a UN body, though the UN Security Council can refer situations to the ICC even for non-member states.
- Established: Rome Statute, entered into force July 1, 2002.
- HQ: The Hague, Netherlands.
- Jurisdiction: Genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, aggression.
- Members: 124 state parties as of 2024; major non-members include the US, China, Russia, India, and Israel.
- Complementarity principle: ICC acts only if national courts fail to prosecute.
- UNSC referral power: Can refer non-member state situations to ICC (e.g., Sudan referral 2005, Libya 2011).
- India is NOT a signatory to the Rome Statute; has expressed concerns about selectivity and politically motivated referrals.
- Budget: Funded by state party contributions; independent of the UN budget.
● Tracked since February 25, 2026 · last seen May 20, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes