International Criminal Court Act 2001

The International Criminal Court Act is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament adopted on 11 May 2001. The Act implements into the law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. [International Committee of the Red Cross (2001): " [http://www.icrc.org/ihl-nat.nsf/6fa4d35e5e3025394125673e00508143/74f7e6f94e1d370cc1256a860035c309!OpenDocument International Humanitarian Law: National Implementation] ". Accessed 4 July 2007.]

The principal aims of the Act are: [Foreign and Commonwealth Office: " [http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/ICCexplanatorynotes.pdf International Criminal Court Act 2001: Explanatory Notes] ". Accessed 4 July 2007.]
*to incorporate into domestic law the offences contained in the Rome Statute (genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity); [Note that the Act does not include the crime of aggression. Although the Rome Statute lists the crime of aggression as a crime under the jurisdiction of the Court, Article 5 of the Rome Statute stipulates that the ICC will not exercise its jurisdiction over the crime of aggression until agreement has been reached on a definition of that crime and the conditions under which jurisdiction will be exercised. Any amendment to the crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC, if accepted by the UK, would need to be given effect by a further Act of Parliament. See Foreign and Commonwealth Office: " [http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/ICCexplanatorynotes.pdf International Criminal Court Act 2001: Explanatory Notes] ", para. 10. Accessed 4 July 2007.]
*to fulfill the United Kingdom's obligations under the Statute, particularly in relation to the arrest and surrender of persons wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the provision of assistance with respect to ICC investigations; and
*to create a legal framework so that persons convicted by the ICC can serve prison sentences in the United Kingdom.

In 2006, three British military personnel were charged with inhumane treatment, a war crime, under the Act. [" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5360432.stm British soldier admits war crime] ". BBC News, 19 September 2006. Accessed 4 July 2007.] Two of the three soldiers were cleared but the third, Corporal Donald Payne, became the first British person to be convicted of a war crime under this act. [" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6609237.stm UK soldier jailed over Iraq abuse] ". BBC News, 30 April 2007. Accessed 4 July 2007.]

References

ee also

*Human rights in the United Kingdom
*International criminal law
*Völkerstrafgesetzbuch

External links

* [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2001/20010017.htm International Criminal Court Act 2001] — text of the Act at the Office of Public Sector Information