The International Criminal Court

The adoption of the Rome Statute in 1998 was the cornerstone of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which began its work in 2002. More than 100 states signed the statute, hoping that the International Court of Justice could be used to bring justice to countries where their own legal systems had collapsed through war or revolution. But the implementation of this idea often proves to be very difficult, because not only must the accused first be caught and brought to The Hague. Often, bureaucracy, lack of money and regime pressure also stand in the way of a successful prosecution.

Filmmakers Marcus Vetter (Cinema Jenin ) and Michele Gentile accompanied Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in his work between March 2009 and November 2012, gaining a very comprehensive insight into the difficult work of the Court, which they now want to bring to a wider public in their documentary The International Criminal Court. The initial situation was originally the question of the extent to which Israel and Hamas can be charged with war crimes in the Gaza war. Since the question of whether Palestine can be recognized as a state, which is a prerequisite for a lawsuit, had to be clarified first, and this process dragged on enormously, the filmmakers finally switched their focus to the trial against the Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo. The prosecution of the warlord, who is alleged to have recruited child soldiers, was the first ICC case to be tried in The Hague.

But the revolution in Libya and its bloody suppression also become a subject for the chief prosecutor and his team. In doing so, Luis Moreno-Ocampo knows very well that he must not only find solid evidence against the accused, but also that he must promote the important work of the ICC. The hope that powerful states like the United States, China and Russia will then one day recognize the court is just one of the big motivations behind such courting. Prominent supporters such as Angelina Jolie or even the idea of bringing Ben Ferencz, the chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials, on board for the closing arguments in the Thomas Lubanga Dyilo case result from the desire to make the still young institution better known and, above all, more recognized.

The film is at very from the tone rather unexciting, but remains quite rousing until the end. This is, of course, partly because of the stirring cases that are dealt with here, but also because Luis Moreno-Ocampo is a very charismatic figure. Watching him work, investigate and lead his team is very exciting and highly interesting. When you hear the name International Court of Justice in The Hague, you are inclined to believe that things are always very serious and somehow very special here. However, the fact that the daily work routine is in itself completely normal, and that despite (or perhaps because of) the many horrific acts that the staff are confronted with on a daily basis, there is sometimes time for a casual and humorous get-together, makes the institution and its employees much more tangible and accessible to the viewer.

Because the film concludes with the end of Luis Moreno-Ocampo's tenure, some questions are left unanswered and there might be a feeling that the documentary ends up being more of a portrait of the chief prosecutor and less of the ICC after all. Admittedly, this is a very minor criticism of an otherwise very watchable documentary that, despite some minor lengths, can be warmly recommended to anyone even remotely interested in the work of the ICC. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp