Understanding International Criminal Court. On 17 July 1998, 120 States adopted a statute in Rome – known as the Rome Statute of the InternationalCriminal Court (“the Rome Statute”) – establishing the International Criminal Court. For the first time in the history of humankind, States decided to accept the jurisdiction of a permanent international criminal court for the prosecution of the perpetrators of the most serious crimes committed in their territories or by their nationals after the entry into force of the Rome Statute on 1 July 2002.
The International Criminal Court is not a substitute for national courts. According to the Rome Statute,
it is the duty of every State to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international
crimes. The International Criminal Court can only intervene where a State is unable or unwilling
genuinely to carry out the investigation and prosecute the perpetrators.
The primary mission of the International Criminal Court is to help put an end to impunity for the
perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, and thus
to contribute to the prevention of such crimes.
A well-informed public can contribute to guaranteeing lasting respect for and the enforcement
of international justice. The purpose of this booklet is to promote a better understanding of the
International Criminal Court by providing answers to the most frequently asked questions about the
Court.
Understanding International Criminal Court