ICC under pressure, but remains essential
image: OSeveno via Wikimedia Commons
The ICC is widely criticised for its waning influence when it comes to justice in Ukraine and Palestine. Larissa van den Herik, Professor of Public International Law, spoke to Dutch newspaper ‘Trouw’: ‘International law is always evolving and is always imperfect.’
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is powerless to address the ongoing human rights violations in Ukraine and Gaza despite its 125 member states. Recently, it has also faced severe criticism. Van den Herik: ‘That's nothing new and there’s actually some truth to it, because international law always falls short. States not complying with all their obligations is also nothing new. What is new, is that the world has become a very tough place. So, the question now arises: where are we actually headed with each other?'
The professor argues that although the ICC is far from perfect, it remains essential in the face of the threat of US sanctions and European indifference: ‘Ideally, of course, the ICC should be universal – that all countries join it. And then you can also imagine the court's jurisdiction slowly expanding to cover more crimes. As far as I’m concerned, the future of the ICC is very much tied to the future of international law and the international legal order.' According to Professor van den Herik, the Netherlands cannot do without the ICC: ‘It's a hard reality that to maintain its place in the world, a small country like the Netherlands cannot do without international law.’
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Read the full article in Trouw (in Dutch, €)