Leducate Explains: The International Criminal Court (ICC)
Suggested Title: What is the International Criminal Court and what does it do?
Introduction: This article will explain what the ICC is and what it does. It will explain the ICC’s relationship with member states, what the Rome Statute is (the founding document of the ICC), and the types of cases and crimes that it hears.
Overview of what to include:
1. What is the ICC?
How was it formed?
It is important to focus on the law in this article, as even though this topic spans law and politics, we want to avoid overly political and partisan topics.
Where is it located?
What is the ICC’s jurisdiction?
Who gets to decide the outcomes of cases in the ICC?
2. The internal structure of the ICC
The four organs
3. When do member states turn to the ICC for guidance or decisions on cases?
4. What crimes get heard at the ICC?
Mention the Rome Statue: Individuals can only be prosecuted for crimes that are listed in the Statute.
Article 5 of the Statute: genocide (article 6), crimes against humanity (article 7), war crimes (article 8), and crimes of aggression (article 8 bis).
In addition, article 70 defines offences against the administration of justice, which is a fifth category of crime for which individuals can be prosecuted.
5. What are some criticisms of the ICC?
Conclusion: Volunteer discretion.
The article should be 500 - 750 words and should be an accessible explanation of the issue, in simple terms for to engage 16-18-year-olds without a legal background.
NOTE: We have found that it is essential for articles of this kind to be written with limited legal terms, and to be clearly defined when they are used, to make them as accessible as possible. We would ask, therefore, to limit complex legal jargon to ensure that the article is easily digestible by the targeted audience.
Remember - The law can be scary, at Leducate we hope to make it as accessible as possible!