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- Not to be confused with the International Court of Justice
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization seated at the Hague in the Netherlands. Founded in 2002, its stated purpose is to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, but in actuality its selective justice usually serves Western interests. Major countries including the United States and Russia do not recognize its authority. It serves as a neocolonial organization and only targeted Africans from 2002 to 2016. As a result, the African Union condemned the court and the Gambia withdrew.[1]
Since its founding only 32 cases have been heard by the ICC and 60 arrest warrants issued, and of those only 21 have been detained while 7 have died before they could be brought to trial. The court officially has jurisdiction over the 125 countries who have signed the Rome Statute, and is funded by them with an annual budget of $205mi, adding up to $1.5bn since 2002.[2] The ICC has no actual enforcement power and its judgements are frequently ignored when it suits member states' interests, the most notable case being Benjamin Netanyahu.[3]
History[edit | edit source]
In 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush refused to approve the Rome Statute because it could be used to investigate impending war crimes in Iraq.[4] He instead passed the Hague Invasion Act and threatened to use military force against the ICC to prevent the prosecution of U.S. soldiers for war crimes.[1]
Donald Trump placed sanctions on ICC investigators and pressured them to drop investigations into U.S. torture programs in Afghanistan.[4] In 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the ICC for investigating Israeli war crimes against Palestine, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the ICC anti-semitic.[1]
In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin for alleged deportation of children to Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Karim A. A. Khan, a British lawyer, approved the warrant.[4] Neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the ICC.[1]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ben Norton (2023-03-29). "US threatened to invade International Criminal Court. Now it loves ICC for targeting Putin" Geopolitical Economy Report. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
- ↑ "$1.5 Billion for 32 Trials: How Efficient is the International Criminal Court?" (2025-02-27). Sputnik. Archived from the original on 2025-03-06.
- ↑ "Who’s Criticizing the ICC and Why?" (2025-02-27). Sputnik. Archived from the original on 2025-03-04.
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 4.2 Joseph Kishore (2023-03-18). "ICC issues arrest warrant against Putin as part of US-NATO propaganda campaign for regime change" WSWS. Retrieved 2023-03-18.