{ "id": "RL34665", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL34665", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 389649, "date": "2011-07-22", "retrieved": "2016-04-07T00:41:44.650049", "title": "International Criminal Court Cases in Africa: Status and Policy Issues", "summary": "The International Criminal Court (ICC) has, to date, opened cases exclusively in Africa. Cases concerning 25 individuals are open before the Court, pertaining to crimes allegedly committed in six African states: Libya, Kenya, Sudan (Darfur), Uganda (the Lord\u2019s Resistance Army, LRA), the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. A 26th case, against a Darfur rebel commander, was dismissed. The ICC Prosecutor has yet to secure any convictions. In addition, the Prosecutor has initiated preliminary examinations\u2014a potential precursor to a full investigation\u2014in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Guinea, and Nigeria, along with several countries outside of Africa, such as Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, Honduras, and the Republic of Korea. \nThe Statute of the ICC, also known as the Rome Statute, entered into force on July 1, 2002, and established a permanent, independent Court to investigate and bring to justice individuals who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. As of July 2011, 116 countries\u2014including 32 African countries, the largest regional block\u2014were parties to the Statute. Tunisia was the latest country to have become a party, in June 2011. The United States is not a party.\nICC prosecutions have been praised by human rights advocates. At the same time, the ICC Prosecutor\u2019s choice of cases and the perception that the Court has disproportionately focused on Africa have been controversial. The Prosecutor\u2019s attempts to prosecute two sitting African heads of state, Sudan\u2019s Omar Hassan al Bashir and Libya\u2019s Muammar al Qadhafi, have been particularly contested, and the African Union has decided not to enforce ICC arrest warrants for either leader. Neither Sudan nor Libya is a party to the ICC; in both cases, jurisdiction was granted through a United Nations Security Council resolution. (The United States abstained from the former Security Council vote, in 2005, and voted in favor of the latter, in February 2011.) Controversy within Africa has also surfaced over ICC attempts to prosecute Kenyan officials in connection with post-election violence in 2007-2008. Although Kenya is a party to the Court, the government has recently objected to ICC involvement, which some contend could be destabilizing. \nCongressional interest in the work of the ICC in Africa has arisen in connection with concerns over gross human rights violations on the African continent and beyond, along with broader concerns over ICC jurisdiction and U.S. policy toward the Court. Obama Administration officials have expressed support for several ICC prosecutions. At the ICC\u2019s 2010 review conference in Kampala, Uganda, Obama Administration officials reiterated the United States\u2019 intention to provide diplomatic and informational support to ICC prosecutions on a case-by-case basis. The U.S. government is prohibited by law from providing material assistance to the ICC under the American Servicemembers\u2019 Protection Act of 2002, or ASPA (P.L. 107-206, Title II). Legislation introduced during the 111th Congress referenced the ICC in connection with several African conflicts and, more broadly, U.S. policy toward, and cooperation with, the Court. S.Res. 85 (Menendez) welcomes the U.N. Security Council referral of Libya to the ICC.\nThis report provides background on current ICC cases and examines issues raised by the ICC\u2019s actions in Africa. Further analysis can be found in CRS Report R41116, The International Criminal Court (ICC): Jurisdiction, Extradition, and U.S. Policy, by Emily C. Barbour and Matthew C. Weed, and CRS Report R41682, International Criminal Court and the Rome Statute: 2010 Review Conference, by Matthew C. Weed.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL34665", "sha1": "159dda929214a4cc94b97b284d11dc4291dbe3f2", "filename": "files/20110722_RL34665_159dda929214a4cc94b97b284d11dc4291dbe3f2.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL34665", "sha1": "adc91e5a4311fd813418c0457a57a83308357981", "filename": "files/20110722_RL34665_adc91e5a4311fd813418c0457a57a83308357981.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc33072/", "id": "RL34665_2011Mar07", "date": "2011-03-07", "retrieved": "2011-04-28T13:31:19", "title": "International Criminal Court Cases in Africa: Status and Policy Issues", "summary": "The International Criminal Court (ICC) has, to date, opened cases exclusively in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Statute of the ICC, also known as the Rome Statute, entered into force on July 1, 2002, and established a permanent, independent Court to investigate and bring to justice individuals who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. As of October 2010, 114 countries-including 31 African countries, the largest regional block-were parties to the Statute. The United States is not a party. 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The report also examines issues raised by the ICC's actions in Africa, including the potential deterrence of future abuses and the potential impact on African peace processes.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20100714_RL34665_e9bf24d123de823f3b6faecec74a4b15fb7c01f7.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20100714_RL34665_e9bf24d123de823f3b6faecec74a4b15fb7c01f7.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International courts", "name": "International courts" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International law", "name": "International law" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Criminal justice", "name": "Criminal justice" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Criminal courts", "name": "Criminal courts" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Genocide", "name": "Genocide" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Crimes against humanity", "name": "Crimes against humanity" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "War crimes", "name": "War crimes" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc501780/", "id": "RL34665_2010Apr02", "date": "2010-04-02", "retrieved": "2015-03-30T22:03:27", "title": "International Criminal Court Cases in Africa: Status and Policy Issues", "summary": "This report provides background on current International Criminal Court (ICC) cases and examines issues raised by the ICC's actions in Africa, including the potential deterrence of future abuses and the potential impact on African peace processes.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20100402_RL34665_8621923156979fd524bcad0427f712bf37115ced.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20100402_RL34665_8621923156979fd524bcad0427f712bf37115ced.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Crimes against humanity", "name": "Crimes against humanity" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International courts", "name": "International courts" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International law", "name": "International law" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "War crimes", "name": "War crimes" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc689361/", "id": "RL34665_2009Jul14", "date": "2009-07-14", "retrieved": "2015-08-03T15:06:47", "title": "International Criminal Court Cases in Africa: Status and Policy Issues", "summary": "This report provides background on current International Criminal Court (ICC) cases and examines issues raised by the ICC's actions in Africa, including the potential deterrence of future abuses and the potential impact on African peace processes.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090714_RL34665_f0dc4530c38fb02d2d5a3bcbcf7a9b4162b15e91.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090714_RL34665_f0dc4530c38fb02d2d5a3bcbcf7a9b4162b15e91.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Crimes against humanity", "name": "Crimes against humanity" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International courts", "name": "International courts" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International law", "name": "International law" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "War crimes", "name": "War crimes" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700926/", "id": "RL34665_2009May18", "date": "2009-05-18", "retrieved": "2015-08-27T16:20:31", "title": "International Criminal Court Cases in Africa: Status and Policy Issues", "summary": "This report provides background on ICC investigations in Africa and gives an overview of cases currently before the Court. The report also examines issues raised by the ICC's actions in Africa, including the ICC's possible role in deterring future abuses and the potential impact of international criminal prosecutions on peace processes, ongoing in many countries on the continent.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090518_RL34665_c21065ab89110c9225c9077867c6a0deb6940ea0.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090518_RL34665_c21065ab89110c9225c9077867c6a0deb6940ea0.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Crimes against humanity", "name": "Crimes against humanity" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International courts", "name": "International courts" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International law", "name": "International law" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "War crimes", "name": "War crimes" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc795660/", "id": "RL34665_2008Sep12", "date": "2008-09-12", "retrieved": "2016-01-13T14:26:20", "title": "International Criminal Court Cases in Africa: Status and Policy Issues", "summary": "This report provides background on current International Criminal Court (ICC) cases and examines issues raised by the ICC's actions in Africa, including the potential deterrence of future abuses and the potential impact on African peace processes.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080912_RL34665_7af6f84b3c05a314de33fa2ed7bdd6d2d41b4226.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080912_RL34665_7af6f84b3c05a314de33fa2ed7bdd6d2d41b4226.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Crimes against humanity", "name": "Crimes against humanity" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International courts", "name": "International courts" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International law", "name": "International law" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "War crimes", "name": "War crimes" } ] } ], "topics": [ "African Affairs", "Foreign Affairs", "National Defense" ] }