Article 75 of the Rome Statute: Reparations and Their Implementation in the Dutch Legal System

Abstract

Unlike the ICTY and ICTR Statutes, the Rome Statute of the ICC provides in Article 75 for various forms of court-ordered reparations for the victims of heinous crimes that fall within the jurisdiction of the Court. The ICC, however, does not have any ‘penal enforcement authority’ of its own, nor does it have the authority to enforce its reparation orders or orders to freeze or seize the accused’s property as a protective measure. For the enforcement of court-ordered reparations and protective measures, it depends to a great extent on the cooperation of State Parties. In the Netherlands, the implementation instrument is the ICC Implementation Act, which establishes the basic legal framework for the enforcement of ICC reparation orders and ‘protective measures’ ordered by the Pre-Trial Chamber to secure redress of a future reparations award. This article offers a practical description of the general framework for victims’ access to reparations under the Rome Statute and its implementation in the Dutch legal system. The article will also deal with possible third-party conflicts and how to address them.