Upon referrals by States Parties or by the UNSC, or on its own initiative and with the judges’ authorisation, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) conducts investigations by gathering and examining evidence, questioning persons under investigation and questioning victims and witnesses, for the purpose of finding evidence of a suspect’s innocence or guilt. OTP must investigate incriminating and exonerating circumstances equally.
OTP requests cooperation and assistance from States and international organisations, and also sends investigators to areas where the alleged crimes occurred to gather evidence. Investigators must be careful not to create any risk to the victims and witnesses.
Situation referred to the ICC by the DRC Government: April 2004
ICC investigations opened: June 2004
Current focus:Alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the context of armed conflict in the DRC since 1 July 2002 (when the Rome Statute entered into force)
Current regional focus: Eastern DRC, in the Ituri region and the North and South Kivu Provinces
Situation referred to the ICC by the Government of Uganda: January 2004
ICC investigations opened: July 2004
Current focus: Alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the context of a conflict between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the national authorities in Uganda since 1 July 2002 (when the Rome Statute entered into force)
Current regional focus: Northern Uganda
Situation referred to the ICC by the United Nations Security Council: March 2005
ICC investigations opened: June 2005
Current focus: Alleged genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in in Darfur, Sudan, since 1 July 2002 (when the Rome Statute entered into force)
Current regional focus: Darfur (Sudan), with Outreach to refugees in Eastern Chad and those in exile throughout Europe.
Situation referred to the ICC by the CAR Government: December 2004
ICC investigations opened: May 2007
Current focus: Alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the context of a conflict in CAR since 1 July 2002, with the peak of violence in 2002 and 2003. (See CAR II for the situation in CAR from 2012 onward.)
Current regional focus: Throughout CAR
ICC Prosecutor opens proprio motu investigation: March 2010
Current focus: Alleged crimes against humanity committed in the context of post-election violence in Kenya in 2007/2008.
Current regional focus: Six of the eight Kenyan Provinces: Nairobi, North Rift Valley, Central Rift Valley, South Rift Valley, Nyanza Province and Western Province
Situation referred to the ICC by the United Nations Security Council: February 2011
ICC investigations opened: March 2011
Current focus: Alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the context of the situation in Libya since 15 February 2011
Current regional focus: Throughout Libya in, inter alia, Tripoli, Benghazi, and Misrata
Côte d’Ivoire accepts ICC’s jurisdiction: April 2003 – Rome Statute ratification: 15 February 2013
ICC Prosecutor opens proprio motu investigations after authorisation of Pre-trial Chamber: 3 October 2011
Current focus: Alleged crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court committed in the context of post-election violence in Côte d’Ivoire in 2010/2011, but also since 19 September 2002 to the present
Current regional focus: Throughout Côte d’Ivoire, including, the capital of Abidjan and western Côte d’Ivoire
Situation referred to the ICC by the Government of Mali: July 2012
ICC investigations opened: January 2013
Current focus: Alleged war crimes committed in Mali since January 2012
Current regional focus: Mainly in three northern regions, Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, with certain incidents in Bamako and Sévaré, in the south
Situation referred to the ICC by the CAR Government: May 2014
ICC investigations opened: September 2014
Current focus: Alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the context of renewed violence starting in 2012 in CAR. (See CAR I regarding the 2002/2003 conflict in CAR.)
Current regional focus: Throughout CAR
ICC Prosecutor authorized to open proprio motu investigation: 27 January 2016
Current focus: Alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the context of an international armed conflict between 1 July and 10 October 2008
Current regional focus: According to the Prosecution’s request for authorization to investigate: in and around South Ossetia
ICC Prosecutor authorised to open proprio motu investigation: 25 October 2017
Current focus: Alleged crimes against humanity committed in Burundi or by nationals of Burundi outside Burundi since 26 April 2015 until 26 October 2017
Current regional focus: Both in and outside of Burundi
ICC at a glance: Kirundi
Understanding the ICC: Kirundi
Focus: Crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court that are alleged to have been committed in the Situation since 13 June 2014, the date to which reference is made in the Referral of the Situation to the Office of the Prosecutor.
On 3 March 2021, the Prosecutor announced the opening of the investigation into the Situation in the State of Palestine. This followed Pre-Trial Chamber I’s decision on 5 February 2021 that the Court could exercise its criminal jurisdiction in the Situation and, by majority, that the territorial scope of this jurisdiction extends to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Focus: Any alleged crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction – including but not limited to crimes against humanity, such as deportation and persecution, allegedly committed against the Rohingya population – committed at least in part on the territory of Bangladesh, a State Party to the Rome Statute, or on the territory of any other State Party, insofar as such crimes are sufficiently linked to the situation as described in the Pre-Trial Chamber III’s 14 November 2019 decision. The situation as described in this decision encompasses the 2016 and 2017 waves of violence which allegedly took place in Rakhine State, on the territory of Myanmar.
As for the time period, the Court has authorised the investigation of crimes allegedly committed on or after 1 June 2010, the date of entry into force of the Rome Statute for Bangladesh, and, in relation to crimes allegedly committed, at least in part, on the territory of other State parties – after the date of entry in force of the Statute for those States Parties, insofar as such crimes are sufficiently linked to the situation as described above. The Court has also authorised the investigation of any future crimes, again as long as such crimes are sufficiently linked to the situation as described.
Focus: Alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Afghanistan since 1 May 2003
Focus: Any alleged crime within the jurisdiction of the Court, including but not limited to the crime against humanity of murder, committed in the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019 in the context of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign.
Situation referred to ICC by a group of States Parties on 27 September 2018.
ICC Prosecutor announced that the preliminary examination had been concluded with a decision to proceed with investigations, on 3 November 2021.
Situation referred to the ICC by 43 States Parties: March – April 2022
ICC investigations opened: 2 March 2022
Focus: Alleged crimes committed in the context of situation in Ukraine since 21 November 2013
Current regional focus: Ukraine
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