During the last century, human society witnessed numerous crimes of shocking severity and cruelty. For example, the first and the second World Wars showcased the use of chemical weaponry and racial genocide, respectively (Kramer, 2019). Due to the broad scope of such crimes, which resulted in many involved people and nations, the need for a proper inclusive judgment appeared in the international society.
The original tribunal practice can be described as the establishment of separated tribunals in countries of criminals’ origins. For example, after the Second World War, International Military Tribunal attended to German leaders accused of war crimes (Bassiouni & Schabas, 2021). However, only in 1998 the world has finally come to the solution first announced at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 (Bassiouni & Schabas, 2021). After facing numerous international crimes in the second half of the 20th century, it established International Criminal Court (ICC) as a permanent institution.
At its core, ICC has a clear and transparently defined purpose. As the first and only institution with such authority, ICC presents a permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for various international crimes. They include war crimes, crimes of aggression, crimes against humanity, and genocide (Bassiouni & Schabas, 2021). Consequently, this court has the power to prosecute the people accused of such crimes and their associates.
After the ICC rules’ adoption by a significant number of states, its establishment fundamentally altered the international law’s landscape. ICC can be considered of substantial importance to world justice for many reasons, such as removing geographic limitations and supporting national courts. The former refers to international society no longer in need of arranging ad hoc tribunals for every occurring atrocity on a grand scale. The latter emphasizes the purpose of the ICC as the court of last resort – it has jurisdiction over cases where national courts might fail to act.
As a result, ICC fulfilled the need for a proper inclusive judgment tool for international crimes. The ideas for ICC establishment appeared more than a hundred years ago; however, it took approximately 80 years for them to form. Nowadays, ICC prosecutes criminals and their associates accused of international crimes. Its establishment can be considered a significant step forward for world justice, as ICC creation ensures crime prosecution regardless of geographic or national features.
References
Bassiouni, M. C., & Schabas, W. A. (Eds.). (2021). The Legislative History of the International Criminal Court: Introduction, Analysis, and Integrated Text. Brill.
Kramer, A. (2019). From great war to fascist warfare. In M. Alonso, A. Kramer, & J. Rodrigo (Eds.), Fascist Warfare, 1922–1945 (pp. 25-50). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.