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As the World Courts web site points out, there are a number of courts that hear international cases, including courts dedicated to European, African, and South American trade disputes. A true International Criminal Court with wide-reaching jurisdiction, however, is still a long way from becoming a reality. In 1999, a new law gave Belgian courts "universal jurisdiction to prosecute serious violations of international humanitarian law." There are currently over 500 criminal cases filed in the public prosecutor's office in Brussels, Belgium. And the International Court of Justice, the
judicial arm of the United Nations, has 23 cases pending in The Hague, Netherlands. The current Milosevic trial is being conducted under the auspices of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, an ad-hoc court created by the UN. It's important to note that this is a separate judicial body from the ICJ, which is also located in The Hague. Another temporary UN Tribunal is currently examining war crimes in Rwanda that occurred during 1994. As this thorough backgrounder on international criminal
courts mentions, there has been a recent push to establish an International Criminal Court that could "prosecute serious crimes against humanity no matter who committed them." The United States has been slow to embrace and support the effort, however, fearing that U.S. troops could become victims of politically motivated prosecutions.
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