The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has reportedly urged Sri Lanka to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
If Sri Lanka accepts the request and signs the Rome Statute, it will allow international prosecution for serious violations of humanitarian and human rights law by leaders in both the political and military spheres.
If so, other parties will have the legal capacity to prosecute Sri Lankan political leaders and armed forces personnel before the International Criminal Court.
The Rome Statute, adopted at the Rome Conference on 17 July 1998, created the International Criminal Court on 1 July 2002. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka at the time, refused to sign the Rome Statute, which drew serious international criticism.
The International Criminal Court, established in 2002 to prosecute individuals for the most serious crimes under the provisions of the Rome Statute, has 125 member states.
Currently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.