The Investigations of the ICC
The Court has opened 7 investigations – all in Africa. An interactive map detailing each.
The International Criminal Court was created to address the gravest of criminal offences: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. As a self-proclaimed “court of last resort,” it does not oversee investigations processed through national judicial systems unless the rulings were determined to be illegitimate. Only when states are unable or unwilling to prosecute will the Court step in.
One hundred and twenty-one states have accepted the jurisdiction of the ICC. The United States, Israel, and Sudan have unsigned the Rome Statute — the Court’s founding treaty — and therefore no longer plan to ratify it, nor do they have legal obligations under it. Clinton originally signed the statute, but then George W. Bush rejected it and actively campaigned against it. The Obama administration has made a concerted effort to make amends with the Court. Today, the most vocal opponents of the Court are China, India, and Pakistan.
Since coming into existence in 2002, the Court has opened seven official investigations, all of them in Africa. Roll over the map below for details on each one.
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Research by Shannon Snow, Design by Cameron Tulk
