International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt)[2] is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

This article has an unclear citation style. (March 2023)

International Criminal Court Cour pénale internationale (French) المحكمة الجنائية الدولية (Arabic) 国际刑事法院 (Chinese) Международный уголовный суд (Russian) Corte Penal Internacional (Spanish)
Official logo
Parties and signatories of the Rome Statute   State party   Signatory that has not ratified   State party that subsequently withdrew its membership   Signatory that subsequently withdrew its signature   Not a state party, not a signatory
Seat	The Hague, Netherlands
Working languages	English French
Official languages[1]	6 languages Arabic Chinese English French Russian Spanish
Member states	123
Leaders
• President	Piotr Hofmański
• First Vice-President	Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza
• Second Vice-President	Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua
• Prosecutor	Karim Ahmad Khan
• Registrar	Peter Lewis
Establishment
• Rome Statute adopted	17 July 1998
• Entered into force	1 July 2002
Website www.icc-cpi.int

It is distinct from the International Court of Justice, an organ of the United Nations that hears disputes between states. While considered by many as a major step toward justice,[3] and an innovation in international law and human rights,[4] the ICC has faced a number of criticisms from governments and civil society, including objections to its jurisdiction, accusations of bias, Eurocentrism and racism,[5] questioning of the fairness of its case selection and trial procedures, and doubts about its effectiveness.

The African Union has encouraged African states to not work alongside the ICC. These leaders and political bodies said that "the ICC is acting as a neo-colonial force seeking to further empower Western political and extractive interests in Africa."[6]^{[better source needed]}