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The Facts:
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an international
court that will prosecute the most serious international crimes,
including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the
crime of aggression.
- The Rome Statute is an international treaty that sets forth
the conditions and rules of the ICC. By ratifying or approving
the Rome Statute, a country demonstrates its acknowledgment of
the jurisdiction of the ICC.
- After five weeks of negotiations on the Rome Statute, 120 countries
voted to adopt it. Only seven countries voted against the treaty,
including China, Russia, Israel, and the United States, while
21 countries abstained.
- The ICC came into force July 1, 2002.
- The ICC can prosecute crimes that are committed by individuals
who are nationals of a state that is party to the ICC, or is in
the territory of such a state.
- The ICC will only try cases when the state is unwilling or
unable to first try the case itself.
- The ICC is funded by each of the countries that have ratified
the Rome Statute. The amount that each country pays toward the
funding of the ICC is determined by the wealth of that country.
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What Can You Do?
- Contact the embassies of countries that have not
yet ratified the Rome Statute and urge them to ratify
it. For a list of countries, which have ratified the
Rome Statute, visit Human
Rights Watch.
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