International Criminal Law
How individuals are held accountable for the worst crimes under international law, from Nuremberg to the ICC.
From Nuremberg to The Hague
International criminal law establishes individual criminal responsibility for the most serious international crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression. Its origin is the Nuremberg Trials (1945-1946), where 24 senior Nazi leaders were prosecuted for crimes that had no precedent in international law. The principle established at Nuremberg was revolutionary: individuals, not just states, can be held responsible under international law, and 'following orders' is not a defense.
After Nuremberg, international criminal law lay dormant for nearly 50 years. It was revived in the 1990s with the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), both established by the Security Council. These tribunals prosecuted dozens of individuals for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, developing an extensive body of case law.