ICC OTP Issues New Report on the On-Going Preliminary Examination of the Situation in Nigeria

On 5 August 2013, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a new report outlining its findings on the analysis of jurisdictional issues in the context of the preliminary examination of the situation in Nigeria. The report is available here and the official OTP Statement can be accessed here. The situation relates to the inter-communal, political and sectarian violence which affects mostly the central and northern parts of Nigeria at least since the return to democratic rule in 1999. Considering the ratione materiae jurisdiction of the ICC, and, "[a]fter analyses of all available information, the Office of the Prosecutor has determined that there is a reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in Nigeria, namely acts of murder and persecution attributed to Boko Haram, a militant group operating mainly in north-eastern Nigeria." (Statement of the OTP of 6 August 2013) As a next step, the preliminary examination of the situation will move forward to the consideration of admissibility, where the OTP will "assess[...] whether the national authorities are conducting genuine proceedings in relation to those who appear to bear the greatest responsibility for such crimes, and the gravity of such crimes." (para. 17 of the OTP Report) Compartelo:

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