Armenia’s Constitutional Court Approves Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

YEREVAN — Armenia’s Constitutional Court ruled today that the country’s obligations under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) comply with the Basic Law.

The ruling was announced by Constitutional Court Judge Arman Dilanyan. The ruling is final and will come into force upon publication. Judges of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan, Arayik Tunyan and Yervand Khandikyan expressed their dissenting opinions.

In late 2022, the Armenian government had asked the Constitutional Court to examine the constitutionality of the Rome Statute. According to the government, the ratification of this document will allow it to initiate legal proceedings against Azerbaijan (for war crimes committed in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia) at the ICC.

Armenia signed the Rome Statute in 1998, but has not ratified it after the Constitutional Court in 2004 found that the treaty’s obligations contradicted several provisions of the Constitution in effect at the time.