Historical Origins of International Criminal Law

This volume is about the birth of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. It concerns the strategy and activities of the preparatory team for the Office between 1 August 2002 and November 2003. The emphasis is on the

thinking of the team and dozens of experts it consulted. Part 1 of the book contains 41 chapters by some of these experts, including Xabier Agirre, Richard J. Goldstone, Fabricio Guariglia, Mark B. Harmon, Daryl A. Mundis, Bernard O’Donnell, Mohamed C. Othman, John Ralston, Christopher Staker, William A. Schabas, James K. Stewart and Clint Williamson. Their reflections are relevant to builders of capacity to prosecute core international crimes also at the national level. Part 2 has chapters on three expert-group reports that the preparatory team organised: on the length of proceedings, fact-finding and state co-operation, and complementarity in practice. Introductions by actors involved at the time explain the background, main issues, and impact of the reports. Parts 3 and 4 contain three chapters on governance documents prepared by the team with experts: the draft Regulations of the Office, the draft Code of Conduct, and budgetary documents. In Chapter 1, Morten Bergsmo, the co-ordinator of the preparatory team, analyses its risk-assessment and strategy, as well as challenges that subsequently beset the ICC Office of the Prosecutor. He calls for accurate historical research on the institutions of international justice and, beyond that, for a sociology of international justice. He argues for renewed commitment to integrity as a binding legal standard.