UN Security Council Referrals to the ICC
Darfur, Sudan
The UN Security Council voting to adopt Resolution 1593 which referred the Darfur situation to the ICC. Evan Schneider/UN.
On March 31, 2005 the UN Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, adopted Resolution 1593 which referred the Darfur situation to the ICC. The resolution passed by a vote of 11-0, with four abstentions (by the United States, Algeria, China and Brazil). The referral purported to exempt non-Sudanese citizens from States not party to the ICC's Rome Statute, including Americans, from ICC jurisdiction. The referral was based on findings by the UN International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur. The Commission's February 1, 2005 Report "strongly recommend[ed]" that the Security Council invite the International Criminal Court to pursue prosecutions against those suspected of the worst crimes. On June 6, 2005 the Prosecutor decided to officially open an investigation into the Darfur situation.
More on the Darfur investigation
The UN Security Council invites the Prosecutor to report to it biannually following its referral of the situation in Darfur to the Court on March 31, 2005:
- June 29, 2005 report and statement
- December 13, 2005 report and statement
- June 14, 2006 report and statement
- December 14, 2006 report and statement
- June 7, 2007 report and statement
- December 5, 2007 report and statement
- June 5, 2008 report and statement | Presidential Statement (PRST)
- December 3, 2008 report and statement
- June 5, 2009 report and statement
- December 4, 2009 report and statement | US statement
- June 11, 2010 report and statement
- December 9, 2010 report and statement
- June 8, 2011 report and statement
- December 15, 2011 report and statement | US statement
- June 5, 2012 report and statement | US statement
- December 13, 2012 report and statement | US statement
Libya
On February 26, 2011t he UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1970 (2011), which granted the Court jurisdiction over the situation in Libya. This was the first time that the Security Council has unanimously referred a situation to the Court under Article 13(b) of the Court's Rome Statute. On March 3, 2011 the Prosecutor officially opened an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed in Libya.
More on the Libya investigation
The UN Security Council invites the Prosecutor to report to it biannually following its referral of the situation in Libya to the Court on February 26, 2011:
- May 4, 2011 report and statement | US statement
- November 2, 2011 report and statement | US statement
- May 16, 2012 report and statement | US statement
- November 7, 2012 report and statement | US statement
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