International Directives Relating to Sentencing

Punishment in international law must fit the crime, the personal dispensation of the criminal, and the interests of the international community. This basic norm of criminal justice is reflected in Article 78(1) of the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC Statute) which provides that 'in determining the sentence, the Court shall, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, take into account such factors as the gravity of the crime and the personal circumstances of the convicted person.' Leaving it up to drafters of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence to afford substance to this basic principle became necessary due to the time constraints under which the Conference of Diplomatic Plenipotentiaries for an International Criminal Court, which was convened in Rome on June 15 through July 17, 1998, had to complete its primary mission, and the many controversies that prevailed among delegations that tended to prefer their own legal traditions, including constitutional standards of their respective countries.