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Indicting Rafsanjani

ROME STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

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 PREAMBLE

         The States Parties to this Statute,

         Conscious that all peoples are united by common bonds, their cultures pieced together in a shared heritage, and concerned that this delicate mosaic may be shattered at any time,

         Mindful that during this century millions of children, women and men have been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity,

         Recognizing that such grave crimes threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world,

         Affirming that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished and that their effective prosecution must be ensured by taking measures at the national level and by enhancing international cooperation,

         Determined to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes,

         Recalling that it is the duty of every State to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes,

         Reaffirming the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular that all States shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations,

         Emphasizing in this connection that nothing in this Statute shall be taken as authorizing any State Party to intervene in an armed conflict or in the internal affairs of any State,

         Determined to these ends and for the sake of present and future generations, to establish an independent permanent International Criminal Court in relationship with the United Nations system, with jurisdiction over the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole,

         Emphasizing that the International Criminal Court established under this Statute shall be complementary to national criminal jurisdictions,

         Resolved to guarantee lasting respect for and the enforcement of international justice,

         Have agreed as follows   PART 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COURT   Article 1 The Court

            An International Criminal Court ("the Court") is hereby established. It shall be a permanent institution and shall have the power to exercise its jurisdiction over persons for the most serious crimes of international concern, as referred to in this Statute, and shall be complementary to national criminal jurisdictions. The jurisdiction and functioning of the Court shall be governed by the provisions of this Statute.   Article 2 Relationship of the Court with the United Nations

            The Court shall be brought into relationship with the United Nations through an agreement to be approved by the Assembly of States Parties to this Statute and thereafter concluded by the President of the Court on its behalf.
   Article 3 Seat of the Court

1.         The seat of the Court shall be established at The Hague in the Netherlands ("the host State").
 
2.         The Court shall enter into a headquarters agreement with the host State, to be approved by the Assembly of States Parties and thereafter concluded by the President of the Court on its behalf.

3.         The Court may sit elsewhere, whenever it considers it desirable, as provided in this Statute.    Article 4 Legal status and powers of the Court

1.         The Court shall have international legal personality. It shall also have such legal capacity as may be necessary for the exercise of its functions and the fulfilment of its purposes.
 
2.         The Court may exercise its functions and powers, as provided in this Statute, on the territory of any State Party and, by special agreement, on the territory of any other State.
  PART 2. JURISDICTION, ADMISSIBILITY AND APPLICABLE LAW   Article 5 Crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court

1.         The jurisdiction of the Court shall be limited to the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole. The Court has jurisdiction in accordance with this Statute with respect to the following crimes:

(a)     The crime of genocide;

(b)     Crimes against humanity;

(c)     War crimes;

(d)     The crime of aggression.

 
2.        The Court shall exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression once a provision is adopted in accordance with articles 121 and 123 defining the crime and setting out the conditions under which the Court shall exercise jurisdiction with respect to this crime. Such a provision shall be consistent with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
  Article 6 Genocide

            For the purpose of this Statute, "genocide" means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a)     Killing members of the group;

(b)     Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c)     Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d)     Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e)     Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
 

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