Images of the International Criminal Court in Africa

• In Event: Criminal Courts in International Perspective

Abstract

The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established through a treaty adopted in Rome on July 17, 1998 and entered into force on July 1, 2002. The court has jurisdiction over the most serious crimes of profound concern to the international community namely genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crimes of aggression. The international community intended to use the organ of the court to bring to justice those accused of the most outrageous crimes against human rights and humanitarian law in proceedings that guarantee all recognized safeguards for fair trial; to hold individuals and groups personally responsible for planning, ordering or committing gross crimes under international law; to prosecute those responsible for crime whether they were committed during war or peace time and regardless of whether the perpetrators were leaders or subordinates, civilians or members of the military, paramilitary or police forces; to complement prosecutions in national courts; and acting when states were unwilling or unable to effectively discharge the principle of domestic jurisdiction. Be that as it may with the good intentions and aspirations of the Court, serious and complex issues exist with the court. This paper, therefore, examines the images of the International Criminal Court in Africa.

Author

• Charles Ubah, Georgia College & State University