Rome Statute

Rome Statute, a statute establishing the International Criminal Court
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
Map showing ICC member states
Parties and signatories of the Statute
  State party
  Signatory that has not ratified
  State party that subsequently withdrew its membership
  Signatory that subsequently withdrew its signature
  Non-party, non-signatory
Drafted17 July 1998
Signed17 July 1998[1]
LocationRome, Italy[1]
Effective1 July 2002[2]
Condition60 ratifications[3]
Signatories137[2]
Parties125[2]
DepositaryUN Secretary-General[1]
LanguagesArabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish[4]
Full text
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court at Wikisource
https://www.un.org/law/icc/index.html
Headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC).[5] It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy on 17 July 1998[6][7] and it entered into force on 1 July 2002.[2] As of October 2024, 125 states are party to the statute.[8] Among other things, it establishes court function, jurisdiction and structure.

The Rome Statute established four core international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Those crimes "shall not be subject to any statute of limitations".[9] Under the Rome Statute, the ICC can only investigate and prosecute the four core international crimes in situations where states are "unable" or "unwilling" to do so themselves.[10] The jurisdiction of the court is complementary to jurisdictions of domestic courts. The court has jurisdiction over crimes only if they are committed in the territory of a state party or if they are committed by a national of a state party. An exception to this rule is that the ICC may also have jurisdiction over crimes if its jurisdiction is authorized by the United Nations Security Council.

  1. ^ a b c Article 125 of the Rome Statute Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 18 October 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference UN treaty database was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Article 126 of the Rome Statute Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 18 October 2013.
  4. ^ Article 128 of the Rome Statute Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 18 October 2013.
  5. ^ "The Rome Statute" (PDF). International Criminal Court. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  6. ^ Michael P. Scharf (August 1998). Results of the Rome Conference for an International Criminal Court Archived 15 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine. The American Society of International Law. Retrieved on 31 January 2008.
  7. ^ Each year, to commemorate the adoption of the Rome Statute, human rights activists around the world celebrate 17 July as World Day for International Justice. See Amnesty International USA (2005). International Justice Day 2005 Archived 2 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 31 January 2008.
  8. ^ "Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court". United Nations Treaty Collection. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  9. ^ Article 29, Non-applicability of statute of limitations
  10. ^ "International Criminal Court prosecutor calls for end to violence in Gaza". Reuters. Amsterdam. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2023.