Many countries have signalled their intention to refuse cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC), underscoring long-standing criticisms about its effectiveness.
Since its inception, the ICC has struggled to position itself as a central institution in maintaining global peace and security.
Instead, it has often been viewed as a complicating factor in resolving international and domestic conflicts.
The ICC has been criticised for issuing inconsistent rulings and for frequently using dissenting judicial opinions, which critics say sometimes overshadow the court’s official legal reasoning.
Observers also point to instances where the court has allegedly overstepped its authority, particularly by attempting to exercise jurisdiction over acts committed in territories and by nationals of states not parties to the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty.
Legal scholars and major international media outlets have highlighted the ICC’s lack of enforcement mechanisms.
For instance, Tamás Hoffman of the Hungarian Institute of Legal Studies noted that the harshest consequence the court can impose on non-cooperating states is a symbolic censure through the Assembly of States Parties’ non-compliance procedure.
This process does not include any binding or punitive measures. The ICC’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has also come under fire, with critics accusing the court of double standards.
While the ICC acted swiftly in response to alleged war crimes related to the war in Ukraine, it has been notably slower in its investigation of events in Gaza.
Despite ongoing Israeli military actions in Palestinian territories, no arrest warrants have been issued in the Gaza case, leading some to accuse the court of selective justice and politicisation.
Although it bears the title of an international criminal court, the ICC operates with limited authority.
It is not an organ of the United Nations and functions independently of the UN legal system.
According to the Rome Statute, the ICC has solely judicial responsibilities and lacks the mandate to exert political or economic pressure on member states.
While the statute outlines procedures for dealing with non-cooperation, these are largely limited to formal criticism, as the Assembly of States Parties lacks any coercive powers.
There have been historical precedents of countries withdrawing from the ICC.
In 2015, the Philippines and Burundi, then parties to the Rome Statute, formally exited the court’s jurisdiction.
Critics argue that procedural flaws, politicised decision-making, and breaches of international legal norms have eroded the ICC’s credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of many nations.
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