The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent institution that investigates and tries people accused of “the gravest crimes of concern to the international community” such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.
The ICC was established by the Rome Statute, which was adopted by 120 countries on July 17, 1998. The Rome Statute came into force after 60 countries ratified it on July 1, 2002.
The Rome Statute recognizes that grave crimes that threaten global peace, security and wellbeing and victimize millions of people with “unimaginable atrocities” must not go unpunished. It seeks to end impunity for those responsible to prevent these crimes from occurring again.
The Philippines was the 117th country to ratify the statute in 2011. Currently, 123 countries are state parties to the Rome Statute. Last Oct. 27, Burundi became the first country that withdrew from the ICC.
The ICC convicted four people between 2012 and 2016 of various crimes, including the use of child soldiers, murder, attacks on civilian populations, destruction of property and of religious and historical monuments, rape and pillage. —INQUIRER RESEARCH, JEANELLA MANGALUZ AND MADELAINE DURANTE
Sources: Inquirer Archives, ICC website