THE HAGUE, Netherlands: On the night of July 17, 1998, the outcome of the Diplomatic Conference convened to create the International Criminal Court (ICC) was still uncertain. Hundreds of state representatives and civil society organizations assembled at the Food and Agriculture Organization’s headquarters in Italy’s capital Rome, holding their breath in anticipation.
Finally, after midnight, delegations applauded the outcome of the vote: 120 states in favor, seven against and 21 abstentions. A long-standing dream was to become reality: the creation of a permanent criminal court to investigate and try perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
