The Territorial Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC) became a reality with the adoption of the Rome Statute on 17 July 1998 and its entry into force on 1 July 2002. The Court is a permanent institution and self-standing international organization, established beyond the United Nations – but in fact existing and operating in close connection with it. One of the most contentious issues of the negotiations that led to the adoption of the Court’s constitution was the issue of its jurisdiction. An important question for analysis is the following: how little of an international crime need take place on State Party territory for the Court to have jurisdiction? This is the main question that will be addressed in this article.