MOSCOW, September 5. /TASS/. Moscow has asked Armenia for clarifications concerning its ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and will decide on a course of action depending on the Armenian side’s response, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"We have already requested the Armenian side to provide explanations on this matter and will determine our future steps based on Yerevan's response," she said.

The press service of the Armenian government told TASS earlier that the cabinet had submitted the ICC Rome Statute to the parliament for ratification.

The Rome Statute

The Rome Statute is an international treaty that established the International Criminal Court. It is also its Charter. The document was adopted at the diplomatic conference in Rome on July 17, 1998 and went into effect on July 1, 2002. It outlines the functions, jurisdiction and structure of the court (which is not part of the UN).

The ICC prosecutes individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and acts of aggression. The amendment on crimes of aggression was passed in December 2017. The ICC exercises jurisdiction only over crimes committed after July 1, 2002 on the territory of a state party and nationals of state parties on the territory of any other country. If a crime is committed in a state that is not a party to the Statute or its nationals are suspected of grave crimes, the UN Security Council can issue a mandate to launch a criminal investigation.

States that are not parties to the ICC and seek to investigate crimes committed on their soil can issue a special statement to recognize the court’s jurisdiction over a crime. The UN Security Council can suspend the court’s work and any arrest warrants it issues. The ICC has jurisdiction only over individuals. The court can sentence a person to 30 years or even life in prison, but is prohibited from imposing the death penalty.