International Criminal Court is an international court responsible for trying people accused of war crimes, genocide (extermination of an entire people), crimes against humanity, and other offenses. It is the first permanent world court for trying individuals—not armies or nations—for crimes of concern to the international community. The court, sometimes called the ICC, is a court of last resort. It will not act on a case being legitimately investigated or prosecuted by a national court system. ICC headquarters are at The Hague, the Netherlands, but the court may hold a trial wherever it chooses.
After World War II ended in 1945, war crimes trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany, and Tokyo, Japan. In 1948, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly first recognized the need for a permanent international criminal court. In 1989, the General Assembly asked the UN International Law Commission to prepare a resolution to create such a court.
In 1998, the UN finalized the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The treaty took effect in 2002, after 60 nations had ratified it. The court began operations in 2003. The ICC was formed by the UN, but the court is legally independent from the UN system.
