Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a bill on Thursday that would ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC Rome Statute is a key international treaty that established the International Criminal Court and outlines its jurisdiction, composition, and procedural structure.
The proposed legislation would officially establish Ukraine as a member state subject to the ICC’s jurisdiction. In conjunction with this bill, Zelenskyy also introduced Bill 11484, which aims to amend provisions of the Ukrainian Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code to ensure they align with the stipulations of the Rome Statute.
First Deputy Chairman of the Budget Committee Ivan Krulko expressed support for the bill, stating that Ukraine had already fulfilled many of its obligations under the Rome Statute through four resolutions but had not received all the rights of a member state, including appointing judges to the ICC.
Ukraine initially signed the Rome Statute in 2000 but has not ratified it, meaning the ICC does not currently have jurisdiction over the country in the general sense. Still, under Article 12(3) of the statute, states may individually accept the court’s jurisdiction for specific matters, a step Ukraine has previously taken. Notably, Ukraine accepted ICC jurisdiction for certain issues in 2015 without becoming a full member state. For more background on this legal precedent, see the ICC’s overview.
Ratification of the Rome Statute has been a contentious issue in Ukraine, with prior efforts to ratify the statute failing amid concerns over constitutionality and potential impacts on Ukrainian nationals. However, the Russian invasion in 2022 heightened demands to ratify the statute as a measure to hold Russian actors accountable for war crimes. Recently, Ukrainian government officials emphasized the importance of ratification in strengthening Ukraine’s legal framework for prosecuting such crimes.
For full details on Zelenskyy’s legislative initiatives, you can read the original report on JURIST.