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ICC
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Organization Timeline
Assembly of States Parties begins the ICC’s governance work
📅 9 September 2002The Assembly of States Parties held its first session and began establishing the Court’s budgetary, administrative and oversight arrangements. Member states became the institution’s principal...
Assembly establishes the Trust Fund for Victims
đź“… 9 September 2002The Assembly created the Trust Fund for Victims under Rome Statute article 79. The Fund can implement reparations ordered by the Court and provide assistance to victims and families, extending the...
ICC authorizes first Prosecutor-initiated investigation in Kenya
📅 31 March 2010Pre-Trial Chamber II authorized an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity following the Prosecutor’s proprio motu request. This was the Court’s first situation opened without a state or...
ICC opens investigation into alleged crimes in Mali
đź“… 16 January 2013The Prosecutor opened an investigation after Mali referred its situation. The investigation covered alleged crimes committed since January 2012, including in northern Mali. The government referral...
Security Council does not adopt Kenya deferral request
📅 15 November 2013A draft resolution asking the Security Council to defer the Kenya cases under article 16 did not receive the required votes. The episode exposed the Council’s political gatekeeping: a deferral can...
Security Council Syria referral is vetoed
đź“… 22 May 2014China and Russia vetoed a draft resolution that would have referred the situation in Syria to the ICC; 13 members voted in favour. The failed referral became a prominent example of how...
ICC opens second investigation into Central African Republic
đź“… 24 September 2014The Prosecutor opened a second investigation into alleged crimes committed since 2012 after the Central African Republic referred the situation. It followed an earlier investigation and concerned...
Prosecutor withdraws charges against Uhuru Kenyatta
đź“… 5 December 2014The Prosecutor withdrew the charges against Kenyatta, citing insufficient evidence and difficulties obtaining relevant material from the Kenyan government. The withdrawal was not an acquittal after...
ICC refers Libya’s failure to surrender Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the Security Council
📅 10 December 2014Judges found Libya had failed to comply with the request to surrender Gaddafi and referred the non-compliance to the UN Security Council. The decision shows the Court’s enforcement gap: it can...
Palestine accepts ICC jurisdiction by declaration
đź“… 1 January 2015Palestine lodged a declaration accepting ICC jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in its territory since 13 June 2014. This step preceded its accession to the Rome Statute and showed how a...
Prosecutor opens preliminary examination in Palestine
📅 16 January 2015Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda opened a preliminary examination after Palestine’s declaration and accession process. The examination assessed jurisdiction, admissibility and gravity; it was not an...
Dominic Ongwen is transferred to ICC custody
📅 21 January 2015Ongwen, a senior Lord’s Resistance Army commander who had himself been abducted as a child, was transferred to ICC custody. His case forced the Court to address victim-perpetrator complexity, forced...
Palestine becomes a State Party to the Rome Statute
📅 1 April 2015Palestine became the 123rd State Party. The accession gave the Court treaty-based jurisdiction over Rome Statute crimes within the Statute’s temporal and territorial rules, while the unresolved...
Appeals Chamber remands dispute over Kenya’s cooperation
đź“… 19 August 2015The Appeals Chamber reversed the earlier finding that Kenya had failed to cooperate in the Kenyatta case and sent the issue back for a new determination under the proper legal standard. The litigation...
African Union calls for a strategy addressing ICC concerns and possible collective withdrawal
đź“… 31 January 2016The Assembly directed an open-ended ministerial committee to develop a comprehensive strategy, including the option of collective withdrawal. The decision cited concerns about immunity, Security...
ICC confirms 70 charges against Dominic Ongwen
đź“… 23 March 2016Pre-Trial Chamber II confirmed 70 charges and committed Ongwen to trial. The charges included attacks on civilian populations, sexual and gender-based crimes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy,...
ICC confirms charge against Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi
đź“… 24 March 2016Judges confirmed the war crime charge concerning intentional attacks on historic and religious buildings in Timbuktu and committed al-Mahdi to trial. The case recognized destruction of cultural...
ICC sentences Jean-Pierre Bemba to 18 years
📅 21 June 2016Bemba was sentenced for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by troops of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo in the Central African Republic. The judgment treated a commander’s...
South Africa notifies the UN of withdrawal from the Rome Statute
đź“… 19 October 2016South Africa deposited a notice of withdrawal after disputes over its failure to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during an AU summit. The notice became subject to domestic constitutional...
The Gambia announces intent to withdraw from the Rome Statute
đź“… 25 October 2016The outgoing Gambian government announced withdrawal, accusing the Court of bias while pointing to its focus on African leaders. The announcement was a political notice rather than an immediate end to...
African Union adopts a non-binding ICC withdrawal strategy
đź“… 31 January 2017The AU Assembly adopted a strategy setting out grievances and options, including collective withdrawal, while recognizing divisions among member states. It was a political framework rather than a...
The Gambia reverses its withdrawal decision
đź“… 10 February 2017The new Gambian government notified the UN that it was withdrawing the prior notice. The reversal demonstrated that the 2016 announcement did not represent a settled continental position and that...
High Court rules South Africa’s ICC withdrawal notice unconstitutional
📅 22 February 2017South Africa’s High Court held that the executive could not withdraw without parliamentary approval and found the notice unconstitutional and invalid. The ruling showed how domestic constitutional...
ICC orders reparations for Timbuktu community
📅 17 August 2017The Chamber found al-Mahdi liable for €2.7 million in individual and collective reparations for the community of Timbuktu. The order recognized symbolic, social and economic harms caused by attacks on...
Al-Mahdi reparations order becomes final
đź“… 8 March 2018The Appeals Chamber made the reparations order final. Its reasoning helped define the scope of collective and symbolic reparations for damage to cultural property and community identity. The order...
Philippines gives notice of withdrawal from the Rome Statute
📅 17 March 2018The Philippines notified the UN of its withdrawal after the ICC Prosecutor began examining alleged crimes connected to the government’s anti-drug campaign. Withdrawal could not erase jurisdiction over...
Appeals Chamber acquits Jean-Pierre Bemba
📅 8 June 2018The Appeals Chamber overturned Bemba’s conviction, finding errors in the Trial Chamber’s assessment of his responsibility as a commander and the scope of the charges. The acquittal illustrates that...
Trial Chamber acquits Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé
📅 15 January 2019The Trial Chamber acquitted Gbagbo and Blé Goudé of all charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the 2010-11 post-election crisis. The majority found the prosecution had not...
US announces visa restrictions against ICC personnel
đź“… 15 March 2019The US Secretary of State announced visa restrictions against people involved in ICC efforts to investigate US personnel in Afghanistan, warning further measures could follow. The policy used...
US revokes ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s visa
📅 5 April 2019The State Department revoked Bensouda’s visa as the ICC pursued an Afghanistan investigation. The US said the restriction did not prevent official UN travel; Bensouda’s office said she would...
Appeals Chamber confirms Jordan failed to arrest al-Bashir
📅 6 May 2019The Appeals Chamber found Jordan failed to comply with its duty to arrest Omar al-Bashir during an Arab League summit, while clarifying the Court’s reasoning on head-of-state immunity. The case...
Prosecutor requests authorization to investigate Bangladesh/Myanmar
đź“… 4 July 2019Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked judges to authorize an investigation into alleged crimes against the Rohingya people, including crimes with an element on Bangladesh territory. The filing triggered a...
ICC convicts Bosco Ntaganda of 18 counts
đź“… 8 July 2019The Trial Chamber found Ntaganda guilty of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ituri, including murder, rape, sexual slavery, persecution, forcible transfer and use of...
ICC sentences Bosco Ntaganda to 30 years
📅 7 November 2019The Chamber sentenced Ntaganda to 30 years’ imprisonment, the longest ICC sentence at that time. The sentence reflected the scale and gravity of crimes proven at trial. It also highlighted that a...
Judges authorize an ICC investigation into Bangladesh/Myanmar
📅 14 November 2019Pre-Trial Chamber III authorized an investigation into alleged crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction, including crimes connected to the forced deportation of Rohingya people. The decision followed...
Trump administration issues Executive Order 13928 against the ICC
đź“… 11 June 2020The order authorized asset blocking and visa restrictions against people materially assisting ICC investigations into US or allied personnel. It translated political opposition into economic...
Trial opens in Al Hassan case
đź“… 14 July 2020The trial began against Al Hassan, an alleged senior member of Ansar Dine and de facto police chief in Timbuktu. The charges included persecution, torture, rape, sexual slavery and other crimes...
Independent Expert Review issues 384 recommendations for ICC reform
đź“… 30 September 2020A group appointed by the Assembly of States Parties released a review covering governance, judiciary, investigations and prosecutions. Its 384 recommendations documented serious operational problems...
Prosecutor closes Iraq/UK examination without opening an investigation
đź“… 9 December 2020The Prosecutor concluded that potential cases were inadmissible because relevant UK investigations were ongoing or had been conducted, and did not open an ICC investigation. The decision became a...
ICC finds Dominic Ongwen guilty of 61 crimes
đź“… 4 February 2021The Trial Chamber convicted Ongwen of 61 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The case included forced marriage, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy, torture and attacks on civilians. Judges...
Appeals Chamber confirms Ntaganda conviction and sentence
đź“… 30 March 2021The Appeals Chamber confirmed the conviction and sentence, making the findings final. The judgment sustained accountability for a wide range of crimes, including sexual violence and child recruitment,...
Appeals Chamber confirms Gbagbo and Blé Goudé acquittals
đź“… 31 March 2021The Appeals Chamber confirmed the acquittals, ending the prosecution in those cases. The outcome illustrates that the ICC must protect the presumption of innocence and require proof beyond...
Biden revokes sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC personnel
đź“… 2 April 2021President Biden revoked Executive Order 13928 and ended the related visa policy, lifting sanctions on Bensouda and Mochochoko. The administration continued to object to ICC jurisdiction over non-party...
ICC sentences Dominic Ongwen to 25 years
📅 6 May 2021The Chamber imposed a 25-year prison sentence for Ongwen’s crimes. The judgment engaged with the tension between his childhood victimization and adult command role. It affirmed that a person’s...
Assembly adopts an action plan for ICC review recommendations
đź“… 28 July 2021The Assembly Bureau adopted a comprehensive action plan to track recommendations from the Independent Expert Review. Follow-up made reform a continuing intergovernmental process rather than a one-time...
ICC Prosecutor opens investigation into Venezuela
đź“… 3 November 2021The Prosecutor opened an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity and concluded a memorandum of understanding with the Venezuelan government. The case proceeded alongside national...
Judges authorize resumption of Afghanistan investigation
đź“… 31 October 2022Pre-Trial Chamber II authorized the Prosecutor to resume the Afghanistan investigation. The decision followed the earlier refusal in 2019 and the 2020 appeal that had reopened the path to...
Appeals Chamber upholds Ongwen conviction and sentence
📅 15 December 2022The Appeals Chamber confirmed Ongwen’s convictions and sentence. The final judgment affirmed responsibility for a broad catalogue of crimes while maintaining the legal distinction between his...
Judges authorize resumption of Venezuela investigation
đź“… 27 June 2023Pre-Trial Chamber I authorized the Prosecutor to resume the Venezuela I investigation after finding that domestic measures did not sufficiently cover the potential cases under ICC investigation. The...
ICC orders collective reparations for Ongwen victims
📅 28 February 2024The Trial Chamber set Ongwen’s financial liability at €52.429 million and ordered community-based rehabilitation and symbolic measures, including a €750 symbolic award for each eligible victim. The...
Appeals Chamber upholds resumption of Venezuela investigation
📅 1 March 2024The Appeals Chamber confirmed that the Prosecutor could resume the investigation, rejecting Venezuela’s appeal. The ruling reinforced the principle that domestic investigations must meaningfully...
ICC convicts Al Hassan of some war crimes and crimes against humanity
đź“… 26 June 2024The Trial Chamber convicted Al Hassan of some charges relating to abuses in Timbuktu under armed-group control, including persecution and other crimes, while acquitting him of other charges. The...
Appeals Chamber rules on Ntaganda reparations appeals
📅 1 November 2024The Appeals Chamber considered challenges by victims’ representatives and the defence to the revised reparations order. The ruling addressed how harm, eligible victims and available resources are...
ICC sentences Al Hassan to 10 years
📅 20 November 2024The Chamber sentenced Al Hassan to 10 years for the crimes for which he had been convicted. The sentence considered his participation and individual circumstances. Victims’ pursuit of recognition...
States Parties confront threats and sanctions at the ICC Assembly
📅 2 December 2024At the Assembly’s 23rd session, States Parties considered the Court’s independence amid warnings of US sanctions and pressure on judicial officials. Civil-society and state statements debated the line...
US House passes bill proposing sanctions over ICC actions
đź“… 9 January 2025The House passed the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, proposing sanctions on people involved in ICC investigations of US citizens or allies. House passage did not itself impose sanctions, and the...
Trump issues Executive Order 14203 authorizing ICC-related sanctions
đź“… 6 February 2025The order authorized asset blocking and entry restrictions against people involved in ICC investigations targeting US personnel or allies, including Israel. It revived a sanctions framework after...
Appeals Chamber confirms Ongwen reparations order
📅 7 April 2025The Appeals Chamber confirmed the reparations order, completing the judicial phase of the case. The €52.429 million liability exceeds Ongwen’s ability to pay, so the Trust Fund must mobilize resources...
US designates four ICC judges for sanctions
📅 5 June 2025The State Department designated judges Beti Hohler, Reine Alapini-Gansou, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza and Solome Bossa under Executive Order 14203. The administration cited their work on...
US sanctions UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese
đź“… 9 July 2025The US imposed sanctions on Albanese, a UN Special Rapporteur, under the ICC-related executive order, citing her advocacy concerning accountability for Israeli officials and companies. The measure...
US sanctions four more ICC officials
đź“… 20 August 2025The State Department designated ICC Judges Kimberly Prost and Nicolas Guillou, and Deputy Prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang. The administration cited their work on Afghanistan...
US sanctions Palestinian human-rights organizations
đź“… 4 September 2025The US designated Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights under its ICC-related sanctions framework, citing their engagement with the Court. The...
ICC postpones Duterte confirmation hearing over fitness concerns
📅 8 September 2025Pre-Trial Chamber I postponed the confirmation hearing, originally scheduled for 23 September, to consider Duterte’s fitness to participate. A postponement is a procedural safeguard and not a decision...
Appeals Chamber rejects Duterte’s request for interim release
📅 28 November 2025The Appeals Chamber upheld the denial of Duterte’s interim release. The ruling concerned detention pending pre-trial proceedings, not guilt. The litigation highlighted the Court’s responsibility to...
US sanctions two more ICC judges
đź“… 18 December 2025The US designated judges Gocha Lordkipanidze and Erdenebalsuren Damdin, citing their work on proceedings involving Israeli nationals. The action further expanded the set of sanctioned judges and...
ICC finds Duterte fit to participate in pre-trial proceedings
📅 26 January 2026Pre-Trial Chamber I found Duterte fit to take part in pre-trial proceedings and scheduled the confirmation hearing. The ruling applied the Court’s fair-trial safeguards to his health and ability to...
Duterte confirmation of charges hearing opens
đź“… 23 February 2026The hearing opened for judges to determine whether there are substantial grounds to believe that charges should proceed to trial. This stage is not a trial and does not determine guilt; the defence...
Duterte confirmation of charges hearing concludes
đź“… 27 February 2026The confirmation hearing concluded after five days of submissions. Judges were to assess whether the evidence met the threshold for committing the case to trial. The distinction between confirmation...
Appeals Chamber confirms ICC jurisdiction in Duterte case
📅 22 April 2026The Appeals Chamber confirmed the decision rejecting a defence challenge to the Court’s jurisdiction. The ruling concerned whether the Philippines’ withdrawal removed the Court’s authority over...
ICC confirms all charges against Duterte and commits case to trial
đź“… 23 April 2026Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed three charges of crimes against humanity and committed Duterte to trial. Confirmation means the evidence met the substantial-grounds threshold; the prosecution must still...
Hungary withdraws its notice to leave the Rome Statute
đź“… 29 May 2026Hungary informed the UN Secretary-General that it was retracting the withdrawal notice it had deposited in 2025. The reversal came before withdrawal could take effect and shows that formal treaty exit...
Prosecutor withdraws charges against Abdallah Banda after evidence deteriorates
đź“… 23 July 2026The prosecution withdrew charges against Banda, accused of war crimes connected to a 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers, citing deteriorated evidence; judges terminated the proceedings...
Venezuela notifies the UN of withdrawal from the Rome Statute
📅 24 July 2026Venezuela deposited a withdrawal notification with the UN Secretary-General. The treaty’s one-year notice period means the legal effect is prospective, while ICC proceedings concerning alleged conduct...
US expands sanctions designations to ICC President and staff
📅 19 August 2026The ICC reported new US sanctions designations against its President, Tomoko Akane, and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye in the Office of the Prosecutor. The expansion targeted the Court’s...
Trial Chamber finds Duterte fit to stand trial
đź“… 8 October 2026The Trial Chamber found Duterte fit to stand trial after assessing his health and ability to participate. This procedural ruling clears one threshold but does not establish guilt. The case remains...
US announces institution-wide sanctions against the ICC
đź“… 9 October 2026The US announced court-wide sanctions restricting transactions and access to US financial services, technology and dollar channels, with a six-month wind-down period and exemptions before full effect....
Trust Fund for Victims warns US sanctions may disrupt reparative work
đź“… 9 October 2026The Trust Fund for Victims said the court-wide sanctions could affect its ability to support survivors, families and reparations programmes. The statement foregrounded material consequences for people...
UN Secretary-General condemns US sanctions on the ICC
đź“… 9 October 2026The UN Secretary-General condemned sanctions imposed on the Court as an institution and warned against measures that undermine international justice. The response framed the dispute as a test of the...
Assembly Bureau condemns sanctions against the ICC institution
📅 10 October 2026The Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties criticized the US sanctions as a threat to the Court’s independence and ability to perform its mandate. The response placed responsibility on States...