The Hague on Trial

"The International Criminal Court, established in 2002, in the aftermath of the carnage in Rwanda and the Balkans, was designed to hold accountable future perpetrators of war crimes or crimes against humanity. It got off to a slow start: during the court's first two decades in operation, it issued fewer than forty public arrest warrants. Most targeted African strongmen or warlords; the court almost never took on the major international powers or their closest allies, and critics complained that it effectively punished the weak while sparing the strong."

"Among the public warrants were orders for the arrest of Vladimir Putin and top Russian military leaders, for war crimes in Ukraine; the leaders of Hamas, for its murderous attack on Israel on October 7, 2023; and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and a former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, for the willful killing of civilians in Gaza, and for employing the denial of food as a weapon of war."

The International Criminal Court was established in 2002 to hold perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable. The court issued fewer than forty public arrest warrants in its first twenty years, mostly targeting African strongmen, prompting charges of selective justice. One hundred and twenty-five states are party to the court's founding treaty; the United States, Russia, China, and Israel are not. In 2021 Karim Khan became chief prosecutor, bringing UN investigative experience and promising renewed vigor. Khan obtained dozens of new warrants, including against leaders in Russia, Hamas, and Israeli officials, and now faces allegations of sexual misconduct that complicate his tenure.

Read at The New Yorker