Skip to content

International Criminal Court

Iranian Victims Of Saddam Hussein’s Chemical Attacks Sue Dutch Companies

June 25, 2023 News Desk, The Cradle. , , , ,
Five victims of chemical attacks launched by the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war are suing two Dutch companies for providing chemical materials that allowed Baghdad to manufacture mustard gas. The two companies — Otjiaha and Forafina Beleggingen — provided Iraq with chemicals between 1982 and 1984 during the Iraqi invasion of Iran. According to the lawsuit filed at The Hague, the Dutch companies were aware at the time that their products were being used to produce chemical weapons used against civilians. However, Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant says the corporations dispute the accusations and maintain that the chemicals were meant for use as agricultural pesticides.

ICC Wanted To Investigate Israeli War Crimes; Now It’s Caving To US Pressure

December 16, 2022 Marjorie Cohn, Truthout. , , ,
Nearly two years have passed since the International Criminal Court (ICC) began investigating war crimes committed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. But the ICC has yet to take concrete steps to move the investigation forward. Frustrated with the glacial pace of the ICC’s investigation and the lack of clarity about how and when the investigation will proceed, three Palestinian human rights organizations issued a joint statement to the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute (the management body of the ICC) on December 6, saying, “We have not seen any concrete step in this investigation, no action by the Prosecutor to break the vicious cycle of impunity.” They added, “The situation on the ground is deteriorating year after year, month after month, day after day.

Venezuela To ‘Deepen Cooperation’ With ICC After Visit By Prosecutor Khan

April 6, 2022 José Luis Granados Ceja, Venezuelanalysis. , ,
Mexico City, Mexico – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro welcomed the opening of an International Criminal Court (ICC) office in Caracas after a three-day visit by prosecutor Karim Khan. At a joint press conference, Maduro said “the doors of Venezuela were open” to the court’s lead prosecutor and his team. Khan’s visit to the Caribbean country is the second since he announced his decision to open a full-scale investigation into alleged human rights abuses in Venezuela. During his visit in November, the government of Venezuela and Khan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate cooperation. Khan announced that as part of efforts to facilitate cooperation, the ICC would open a "technical assistance office" in Caracas.

Venezuela Rejects Accusations Of Former ICC Prosecutor

August 13, 2021 Ana Perdigón, Orinoco Tribune. , , ,
This Thursday, August 12, Venezuela’s Public Ministry (MP) rejected as worthless the accusations issued by the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, after she irresponsibly ignored the collaboration of the Venezuelan authorities in the Venezuela I case filed by the near-defunct Lima Group accusing Venezuelan authorities of human rights violations. From his Twitter account, the Attorney General of Venezuela Tarek William Saab published a statement in which he repudiated the statement of the former ICC prosecutor regarding the preliminary examination underway on Venezuela. In Bensouda’s statement, she had said that there was a “reasonable basis” to believe that since April 2017 various Venezuelan authorities had committed crimes against humanity.

War Crimes Court ‘Monitoring Developments’ In West Bank

May 12, 2021 RT. , , ,
The International Criminal Court's top prosecutor says she is keeping a close eye on developments in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, as Israeli forces and Palestinians engage in deadly clashes and retaliatory strikes. In a tweet on Wednesday, the court's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said she was concerned by developments in the region. "I note with great concern the escalation of violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as in and around Gaza, and the possible commission of crimes under the Rome Statute," the prosecutor tweeted. "My office will continue to monitor developments on the ground and will factor any matter that falls within its jurisdiction." Bensouda said she echoed calls from the international community to de-escalate the situation, urging "calm" and "restraint."

Venezuela Reiterates Its Commitment To Human Rights And Justice

May 6, 2021 By José Luis Granados Ceja, Venezuelanalysis. , , ,
Mexico City, Mexico - The Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office submitted an updated report to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 30 detailing its efforts to address alleged human rights abuses by state officials. In September 2018, Venezuela’s right-wing opposition, with support from the US and a handful of allied countries, filed a suit before the ICC accusing the Nicolás Maduro government of being responsible for “crimes against humanity” during violent anti-government protests in 2017. Attorney General Tarek William Saab said his office had engaged in “meticulous” work to defend human rights. He noted that during his nearly four-year tenure, 716 state security officials had been indicted in relation to alleged human rights abuses, with a further 40 civilians also charged in connection to these cases. The judicial processes have yielded a reported 153 convictions so far.

‘Ecocide’ Movement Pushes For A New International Crime

April 8, 2021 Nicholas Kusnetz, Katie Surma and Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News. , , ,
In 1948, after Nazi Germany exterminated millions of Jews and other minorities during World War II, the United Nations adopted a convention establishing a new crime so heinous it demanded collective action. Genocide, the nations declared, was “condemned by the civilized world” and justified intervention in the affairs of sovereign states. Now, a small but growing number of world leaders including Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron have begun citing an offense they say poses a similar threat to humanity and remains beyond the reach of international criminal law: ecocide, or widespread destruction of the environment. The pope describes ecocide as “the massive contamination of air, land and water,” or “any action capable of producing an ecological disaster,” and has proposed making it a sin for Roman Catholics.

ICC Clears Way For War Crimes Probe Of Israeli Actions

February 6, 2021 Josef Federman, Toronto Star. , , ,
Jerusalem - The International Criminal Court said Friday that its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, potentially clearing the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions. The decision was welcomed by the Palestinians and decried by Israel’s prime minister, who vowed to fight “this perversion of justice.” The U.S., Israel’s closest ally, said it opposed the decision. The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in 2019 that there was a “reasonable basis” to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip as well as Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

ICC Drops Inquiry Into British War Crimes In Iraq

December 17, 2020 Robert Inlakesh, Last American Vagabond. , , ,
The International Criminal Court (ICC) decided, on December 9, to abandon its inquiry into war crimes committed by British forces during the Iraq war, despite its investigation having concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe war crimes were in fact committed. Fatou Bensouda, the ICC’s Chief Prosecutor, announced in a public statement that she had decided to close the preliminary examination and not pursue an investigation into war crimes committed by the British Armed Forces in Iraq. The Chief Prosecutor also confirmed in her statement that despite closing the case, the report had found “…that there is a reasonable basis to believe that members of the British armed forces committed the war crimes of willful killing, torture, inhuman/cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, and rape and/or other forms of sexual violence.”

Venezuela Advances In Case Against The US Before International Criminal Court

December 16, 2020 Ultimas Noticias, Orinoco Tribune. , , ,
The International Criminal Court (ICC), in its annual report, confirmed the deposit of evidence by Venezuelan authorities regarding the lawsuit (Venezuela II) against United States officials for committing crimes against humanity as a result of the blockade and the coercive measures imposed on the Caribbean country. The information was released by the Foreign Affairs Minister of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, who indicated that the ICC continues to study the demand made by the Venezuelan government. “In her annual report, the #CPI Prosecutor confirms that she received the voluminous report from Prosecutor G @TarekWiliamSaab, as part of the cooperation.

The International Criminal Court Responds To Recent Measures Announced By The US

June 15, 2020 The International Criminal Court. , , ,
The International Criminal Court ("ICC" or "the Court") expresses profound regret at the announcement of further threats and coercive actions, including financial measures, against the Court and its officials, made earlier today by the Government of the United States. The ICC stands firmly by its staff and officials and remains unwavering in its commitment to discharging, independently and impartially, the mandate bestowed upon it by the Rome Statute and the States that are party to it. These are the latest in a series of unprecedented attacks on the ICC, an independent international judicial institution, as well as on the Rome Statute system of international criminal justice, which reflects the commitment and cooperation of the ICC's 123 States Parties, representing all regions of the world. These attacks constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court's judicial proceedings.

Pompeo Threatens ICC Family Members For Investigating US War Crimes

March 23, 2020 Staff, Amnestyusa.org ,
Responding to the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s remarks during a news conference at the State Department, Amnesty International USA’s advocacy director, Daniel Balson, said: “Threats against family members of ICC staff who are seeking justice is a new low, even for this administration.  Instead of pursuing the torturers, the U.S. is condemning the investigators, and even their families. No one should be exempt from accountability”.

Israel And Liberal International Criminal Court Hypocrisy

March 6, 2020 Staff, Yvesengler.com ,
Just when you think Canadian government hypocrisy could hit no greater heights, the Liberals launch a double standards rocket to the stars. The Trudeau government recently pressed the International Criminal Court to stop investigating Israeli war crimes. Ottawa sent a letter to the ICC saying it didn’t believe the court had jurisdiction over Palestine.

Venezuela Accuses US Of Crimes Against Humanity At The International Criminal Court

February 14, 2020 Staff, Telesurenglish.net , , ,
During his meeting with the Court, Arreaza exposed the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the U.S. government in its failed attempt to overthrow Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. Currently, the economic, financial, and commercial sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump administration have prevented Venezuela from accessing international markets.

By Not Investigating The U.S. For War Crimes, The International Criminal Court Shows Colonialism Still Thrives In International Law

April 19, 2019 Helyeh Doutaghi and Jay Ramasubramanyam, Theconversation.com , ,
On April 5, the United States revoked the visa of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, for her attempts to open an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by the U.S. in Afghanistan. A week later, judges at the ICC rejected Bensouda’s request to open a probe into U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. While rights advocates condemned this move as amounting to U.S. interference in the workings of the ICC, it’s more alarming than mere obstruction — and is rooted in the pre-existing hierarchy and embedded colonial structures in international legal order.
«12»
Sign Up To Our Daily Digest

Independent media outlets are being suppressed and dropped by corporations like Google, Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our daily email digest before it’s too late so you don’t miss the latest movement news.