COMPLEMENTARITY AND THE ICC: A DOCTRINAL PARADOX IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Keywords:
ICC, legislation, doctrinal paradox, criminal justice, crimeAbstract
the principle of complementarity, as enshrined in the Rome Statute, was designed to balance state sovereignty with the need for international criminal accountability. While it enables domestic legal systems to prosecute serious international crimes, it also serves as a jurisdictional limitation on the International Criminal Court (ICC). This paper critically examines the extent to which complementarity facilitates or hinders the ICC’s mandate to prosecute the most serious crimes of international concern. Through an analysis of the Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and Abdullah Al-Senussi cases, the study highlights the challenges posed by the principle, particularly in contexts where national judicial systems are either unwilling or unable to conduct genuine proceedings. It explores the ambiguity of Article 17 of the Rome Statute, the practical difficulties in assessing state compliance, and the implications of deference to national courts in politically unstable environments.
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