International Criminal Court: Investigations of Crimes Committed inthe DRC and Uganda. What is Next?

Abstract

The statute of the International Criminal Court is now in force and the court has begun its first investigations. Other conflicts and more investigations are being considered. The first investigations in the DRC and Uganda are based on these states referring crimes committed on their own territory to the court, an unexpected development. Such a move has been encouraged by the court’s prosecutor, hoping that this will enhance the state’s crucially needed cooperation in the investigations. The prosecutor has announced some core policies: a positive approach to cooperation, a focused prosecutorial strategy aimed at the perpetrators who are most responsible, and a limited number of cases. Other preparations for the investigations have been made. This paper provides an update on recent developments regarding the court and points out some challenges, including the operations of the court vis-à-vis other peace efforts.