Conference: The Future of International Criminal Law
On 10 July 2026, the Institute of Criminal Law and Justice, in cooperation with the Institute of International and European Law, hosted the conference "The Future of International Criminal Law – With a Special Focus on the ICC", convened by Prof. Dr. Kai Ambos and Prof. Dr. Svenja Raube.
International criminal law currently stands under a historic stress test: sanctions against the leadership of the Office of the Prosecutor and eight judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), cyberattacks, arrest warrants against Court officials and selective non-cooperation by states place unprecedented strain on the institution. Only three days after the conference, on 13 July 2026, the US administration escalated further, announcing 'dismantle' the Court altogether. At the same time, the Court continues its work — as demonstrated by recent convictions in the Darfur and Central African Republic cases as well as the upcoming Duterte trial — and a rising number of universal jurisdiction proceedings before national courts testifies to the operational resilience of the Rome Statute system as a whole.
Speakers (L–R): Svenja Raube, Anni Pues, Kai Ambos, Beti Hohler, Ousman Njikam, Wiebke Rückert, Natalie von Wistinghausen
Against this backdrop, the conference pursued a deliberately practice-oriented approach: rather than discussing the future of international criminal law from an academic distance, it brought together representatives of all pillars of international criminal justice — the bench, the Office of the Prosecutor, the defence, victims' representatives, the Registry (both of the ICC and of the Special Criminal Court in the Central African Republic (SCC)), and the foreign-policy perspective of the German Federal Foreign Office.
Among the speakers, who came from The Hague, Bangui, Glasgow and Berlin, was also ICC Judge Beti Hohler, who is herself subject to US sanctions.
ICC Judge Beti Hohler and Kai Ambos.
All contributions followed a common analytical framework, examining first how practice has changed under the current pressures, and second what each area requires to secure judicial independence, institutional integrity and operational capacity. In a concluding panel some key questions, resulting from the different presentations, have been discussed and further elaborated. The challenge, participants emphasised, is a double one: to protect the ICC and the Rome Statute system as a whole in times of unprecedented external pressure, while at the same time thinking ahead — towards institutional independence, digital sovereignty, the responsible use of AI, and the shared responsibility to make the ICC's work better understood.
The results of the conference will be published in the Criminal Law Forum. The Faculty thanks all speakers and participants, as well as the supporters who made the conference possible.