INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Armenia recently voted to join the International Criminal Court, straining its ties with Russia following the recent arrest warrant issued for President Putin related to Ukraine.

Key points

• Armenia's relations with Russia have frayed significantly in recent years.
• In 2020, Moscow brokered a deal that ended a six-week war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It mandated that Yerevan cede to Baku large swaths of territory in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of Azerbaijan with a predominantly Armenian population.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

• Origin: The International Criminal Court was established through the 1998 Rome Statute and commenced operations on July 1, 2002, coinciding with the Statute's enactment.
• Mission: The ICC's primary mission involves investigating and potentially prosecuting individuals accused of the most serious international crimes, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
• Headquarters: Hague, Netherlands.
• Members: 123 nations have become States Parties to the Rome Statute, acknowledging the ICC's jurisdiction.

oIndia is not a party to the Rome Statute along with US and China.

• Funding: Financial contributions from States Parties and voluntary donations provided by governments, international organisations, individuals, corporations, and other entities.