Rome Statute
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy on 17 July 1998 and it entered into force on 1 July 2002. As of November 2023, 124 states are party to the statute. Among other things, it establishes court function, jurisdiction and structure.
| Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court | |
|---|---|
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 | |
| Drafted | 17 July 1998 |
| Signed | 17 July 1998 |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Effective | 1 July 2002 |
| Condition | 60 ratifications |
| Signatories | 137 |
| Parties | 124 |
| Depositary | UN Secretary-General |
| Languages | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish |
| Full text | |
| Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court at Wikisource | |
| https://www.un.org/law/icc/index.html | |
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". 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. 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.