The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the first permanent international mechanism for bringing individual perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide to justice where national judicial systems are unwilling or unable to do so. Established in 2002, the Court operates on the basis of its 1998 Rome Statutes which are informed by the experiences with the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials after the Second World War, and other ad hoc tribunals established to deal with the war crimes in countries such as Cambodia, former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. With the statutes of the Court having formally only come into force in 2002, the ICC can only in exceptional cases use evidence and prosecute crimes which predate its establishment.

Over recent years the ICC Prosecutor has opened investigations in relation to crimes committed in Darfur (Sudan), Northern Uganda, Ituri (Democratic Republic of Congo). He has brought charges against individuals in these cases and first trials have begun. In some cases, indictments against high profile figures by the ICC Prosecutor have been criticised as causing problems in the negotiation of an end to armed violence and securing progress in peace processes.

The One World Trust supports the work and development of the ICC as key to ensuring equal and universal access to justice, and greater accountability for human rights abuses at the global level. Building on its coordinating role in the parliamentary ratification campaign and the UK Coalition for the ICC culminating in the ratification of the Rome Statutes in 2002, the Trust continues its work on these issues by

• Disseminating information on key processes at the ICC and other international human rights accountability mechanisms,

• Conducting research and analysis on trends and developments in international human rights accountability, and

• Advocating for the application of universal human rights standards and principles in international humanitarian law in global policy in response to widespread and systematic human rights abuse including in armed conflict.

Related documents and activities

• Between Courtroom Reality TV and Justice - a comment on the trial of Charles Taylor

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For more information about this project, please contact Michael Hammer