On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. The ICC has taken this order against the Israeli PM after allegations of horrific bloodshed in Gaza. This is not the first time, earlier the ICC had also issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin due to the massacre of millions in Ukraine. Before knowing how effective this ICC warrant will be, we need to know how much power the ICC has and how much strength is there in its arrest warrant?
India, America and Israel not among ICC member countries
The International Criminal Court was formed in the year 2002. The ICC has been struggling with lack of recognition and power for the last 22 years. ICC neither has its own army nor any power. ICC is recognized by 124 countries. Ukraine is also likely to join it soon. Its headquarters is located in The Hague, Netherlands. It is worth noting here that India, America and Israel are not its member countries.
In which cases does ICC prosecute?
The International Criminal Court is a global court. It has the power to prosecute for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. On Thursday it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Ministers Netanyahu and Yoav Galant, as well as a Hamas military commander. They are accused of massacre of innocents.
Action orders on how many?
The ICC hears or intervenes in any case when the country concerned is unable or unwilling to prosecute. It can only deal with crimes committed after July 1, 2002. The ICC has jurisdiction only over crimes committed by a country, with crimes committed by a citizen of that country being referred to the UN Security Council.
The court’s first judgment in March 2012 was against Thomas Lubanga, a militia leader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was convicted of war crimes in that country and sentenced to 14 years in prison in July 2012. Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo is among the high-profile cases to be brought before the ICC. He was accused of murder, rape, torture and “other inhumane acts” in 2011, but was acquitted of all charges.
The ICC also prosecuted Joseph Kony, the leader of the accused Lord’s Resistance Army in the Ugandan rebel movement. He was accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes. He was also accused of kidnapping thousands of children. The court also has an arrest warrant pending against former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. In 2023, ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin. Since 2002, the ICC has issued 56 arrest warrants, but only 21 have been executed.
