Britannica AI Icon

Rome Statute

international law [1998]

Quick Summary

The Rome Statute, adopted in 1998, is a treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC's purpose is to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of the most serious international crimes: genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. These crimes involve grave breaches of international humanitarian law, widespread or systematic attacks against civilian populations, and the deliberate destruction of national, ethnical, racial, or religious groups. The ICC began operations in 2002 after the Rome Statute was ratified by 60 countries. It acts as a court of last resort, intervening only when national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.