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International Criminal Court Investigations - International Justice - Global Policy Forum International Criminal Court Investigations
After a hard-fought battle by NGOs and supporting governments, a majority of countries signed the Rome Statute in July 1998, officially establishing the International Criminal Court. It took several years for nations to ratify the Statute, and for officials to work out the logistics of the Court’s operations. The ICC came into force in 2004, when the ICC began investigating its first case. To date, the Court has only formally investigated cases in southern hemisphere countries, prompting concern that the ICC will unintentionally evolve into a court that solely punishes dictators from poor nations. Nonetheless, the cases currently before the Court will be influential in shaping the ICC as a major body of international justice.
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Darfur, Sudan
In a pathbreaking move, the UN Security Council referred the Darfur case to the ICC in March 2005. It was the first time the Security Council made such a decision, and also that the US compromised on its adamant opposition to the ICC. The Sudanese government has resisted the investigations into killings and human rights violations committed by Sudanese government-sponsored militias in the region.Democratic Republic of Congo
In July 2003, the ICC prosecutor initiated investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Ituri region of the DRC. Warlords and fighters from other areas and countries surrounding Ituri had moved into the region, terrorizing civilians there. In 2004, with atrocities ongoing and spreading, the DRC president recommended that ICC investigators consider crimes committed all over the nation. Ongoing acts of violence in the DRC make ICC investigations extremely difficult.Uganda
In October 2005, Ugandan suspects became the first people ever officially indicted by the ICC. The ICC prosecutor issued arrest warrants for top officers of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), including its leader, Joseph Kony. The indictments reignited controversy about devaluing traditional justice practices in the face of the International Criminal Court. International and domestic experts have been debating this issue since the investigations began in January 2004.Central African Republic
On May 22 2007, the International Criminal Court opened an investigation into crimes committed in the Central African Republic. The government of the Central African Republic referred the case to the ICC on December 22, 2004. The Office of the Prosecutor will investigate allegations of serious crimes committed in the country since July 1, 2002. The Prosecutor vowed to pay special attention to sexual violence, which appears to have been a central feature of the conflict.Other Cases
The ICC mandate stipulates that its officials can only prosecute crimes that have taken place since 2002, when the Rome Statute established the Court. Governments and international justice experts generate discussion about potential new cases, owing mainly to the general enthusiasm for the importance of the ICC in international justice.
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