Day of International Criminal Justice is annually observed across the globe by International Criminal Court (ICC) on 17th July to commemorate the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute(1998), the founding treaty of the ICC.
- The day also recognise the efforts taken by the organisations working towards bringing justice to international criminal acts like crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and crimes of aggression.
- The observance is also known as World Day for International Justice or International Justice Day.
17th July 2023 marked the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statue.
Background:
i. On 17th July 1998, the treaty of the Rome Statute of the ICC was signed and adopted by 120 nations.
ii. The Rome statue laid the foundation for the establishment of the ICC on 1st July 2002 (the date the Court became operational).
iii. The date of 17 July was adopted as the Day of International Criminal Justice by the Assembly of the States Parties during the Review Conference of the Rome Statute held in Kampala (Uganda) in June 2010.
iv. The first-ever Day of International Criminal Justice was observed on 17th July 2011.
Events of 2023:
i. On 27th March 2023, to mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption ofthe Rome Statue that founded the ICC, the British Embassy in Rome, Italy in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Justice and the Netherlands Embassy in Rome, Italy organised a celebratory event.
The event highlighted the importance of the Statue and the role of the ICC in promoting justice and accountability across the world.
ii. The Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statue is hosting the exhibition “Common bonds: From the Rome Conference to today” at the Hague City Hall, The Hague in Netherlands from 11 – 31 July 2023 to address some of the world’s worst crimes,from across the globe the ICC hears thousands of stories from conflict survivors.
- This exhibition is hosted by the ASP and was produced by the ICC. The ICC collaborated with the Trust Fund for Victims to capture and share the photographs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo about ICC reparations and other Trust Fund for Victims programmes.
iii. Events will come to an end in the annual meeting of the ASP to be held in New York, the USA from 4 to 14 December 2023.
Note: The ASP is the ICC’s management oversight and legislative body and is composed of representatives of the States which have ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute.
About International Criminal Court (ICC):
It is the world’s first permanent international criminal court and is also a court of last resort to investigate, prosecute thee most heinous offences in cases, where national courts fail to act.
ICC is also different from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations for the settlement of disputes between States.
President– Piotr Hofmański
Headquarters– The Hague, the Netherlands
