The Importance Of International Criminal Law

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Without the rule of law, impunity reigns. In order that, by punishing violations of international legal norms and by promoting adherence to these norms, the ICC and the Rome Statute system play vital role in advancing the rule of law, thereby reducing impunity. Rome Statute concerns norms aimed at preventing crimes which threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world. The acts and omissions which include under its authority are so heinous, so destructive, that every effort towards their prevention is important. Accountability is essential not only for the sake of the past, but also for the future as well. Where impunity is left unaddressed, it provides fertile ground for the reappearance of conflicts and violence.

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A states right to exercise criminal jurisdiction over all acts committed in its territory and elsewhere by its citizens is an unquestionable part of its sovereignty. However states have different kind of perceptions as to the character of this right. Some states hold that the right is more or less exclusive, while other argues that the right might be shared with others. Some states view sovereignty as a right pertaining only to the states, while others hold that it also pertains to the citizens and implies the right of an individual to resist prosecution outside his or her domestic …show more content…

Importantly the likelihood that states citizens will commit ICC crimes varies considerably between states, and so they will view the ICC through different glasses. The concept of sovereignty is based on a presumption that each and every sovereign state has certain unchallengeable rights inherent to statehood. Sovereignty is however subject to recognized limitations imposed by the International law. It implies “international independence and the right and power of regulating internal affairs without foreign friction”. Therefore according to that,” absolute sovereignty has never existed” and no state has entire independence of others.
In 1992 the secretary general of the United Nations noted,
“The time of absolute and exclusive sovereignty, however has passed; its theory was never matched by reality. It is the task of leaders of states today to understand this and to find a balance between the needs of good internal governance and the requirements of an ever more interdependent world.”
Although sovereignty might constitute an obstacle to an effective enforcement of international criminal law, the most important aim of sovereignty coincides with the main purposes of international criminal law, which are promoting peace and security and fostering respect for human

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