ICC Watch: Court Holds First Hearing

The ICC held its first hearing yesterday, a status conference, on the investigation by its prosecutors of crimes committed in Democratic Republic of Congo. “It is the first time the International Criminal Court, which began work almost three years ago, is formally studying a specific war crimes investigation.” Interestingly, the ICC’s current docket consists exclusively of African investigations: Ivory Coast, Uganda, and the Congo. This may reflect the reality of the problems facing some parts of Africa, but it may also reflect the influence of international politics on the ICC. Until it builds up some credibility, it should probably avoid more controversial cases (although, as I’ve pointed out, not all the African cases are uncontroversial either).