Tag Archives: International Criminal Court

How many cases can the ICC handle?

On May 4th, Luis Moreno Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), will report to the United Nations Security Council on his investigation into alleged crimes committed in Libya. Weeks later he will seek arrest warrants from the ICC, most likely against Muammar Quaddafi and high-ranking members of his government. This is laudable.  But the ICC currently has open, formal investigations in the DRC, CAR, Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya, in addition to Libya. Additionally, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) is reportedly investigating alleged abuses in Afghanistan, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Nigeria, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the Republic of Korea. There is strong pressure for the Security Council to refer crimes committed during the 2008 Gaza War to the ICC, and Ocampo has been rather transparent about his desire to open a formal investigation into abuses committed in Côte d’Ivoire. Additionally, there have been calls for the ICC to prosecute crimes committed in nearly every Middle Eastern country where the Arab Spring has sprung, most notably Yemen. Can the Court handle this caseload? Continue reading