The international criminal court was conceived as a respond to the culture of impunity enjoyed by the powerful perpetrators of the offences of gravestnature. It was established through the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by 120 states on 17 July 1998.The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the first ever permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to promote the rule of law and ensure that the gravest international crimes do not go unpunished.
Summary ICC mechanism-Article-2005 (full text in English, PDF)
