Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (or Rome Statute) is the treaty which established the International Criminal Court (ICC). It entered into force in 2002. Since it is a treaty that establishes an international court, it is called a Statute (note this is a different usage of the word "statute" from that commonly used in law.)

The Statute provides for the ICC to have jurisdiction over three main classes of offences: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The treaty establishing the court gives a specific definition of genocide in Article 6, a list of crimes against humanity in Article 7, a lengthy and detailed list of war crimes in Article 8. The Statute also provides for the court to have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression, but only once a definition for that crime has been adopted by an amendment to the Statute. (source) (http://www.un.org/law/icc/statute/99_corr/2.htm)

Links:

• official website (http://www.un.org/law/icc/statute/romefra.htm)