Article 12 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court states that the Court can exercise jurisdiction over crimes that took place on the territory of a state that is a party to the statute, or by a national of a state that is a party to the statute. This means that the ICC can investigate and prosecute individuals for serious crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity if they occurred in a country that has signed on to the statute, or if the person accused is a citizen of a country that has signed on.
