After World War II, and some of the worst atrocities committed in the history of humankind taking place in the 20^th century, the international community through the United Nations decided to take this action to bring the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes against humanity to justice. The creation of an International Criminal Court thus became a reality.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, commonly known as the Rome Statute is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome on 17^th July 1998 and it entered into force on the 1^st of July 2002.

This abridged version is a simplified version that can be read easily and without a myriad of technical-speak.