The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague prosecutes individuals for the most serious crimes under international law, as defined in the Rome Statute. These are not ordinary crimes — they are large-scale, organized violations of humanitarian law that often involve mass atrocities during armed conflict or peacetime

The Four Main Crimes the ICC Prosecutes

1. Genocide
   Acts committed with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. This includes killing group members, causing serious harm, imposing measures to prevent births, or forcibly transferring children to another group l
2. Crimes Against Humanity
   Serious violations committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against any civilian population, regardless of whether an armed conflict exists. Examples include murder, enslavement, torture, rape, apartheid, and enforced disappearances
3. War Crimes
   Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and other rules of armed conflict. These include:
   • Deliberately targeting civilians or protected persons
   • Using prohibited weapons
   • Killing or torturing prisoners of war
   • Forcing children under 15 into the armed forces
   • Destroying property without military justification
   • Taking hostages or unlawful detention of protected persons 
4. Crime of Aggression
   The use of armed force by a state leader against another sovereign state in violation of the UN Charter. Only those in a position to control a state’s political or military decisions can be charged 

When the ICC Gets Involved

The ICC can act when:

• The accused is a national of a state party to the Rome Statute.
• The crime occurred on the territory of a state party.
• The UN Security Council refers a situation to the Court 

It complements, not replaces, national courts — it only steps in when national systems are unwilling or unable to prosecute 

In short: The Hague’s ICC handles the gravest crimes — genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression — when they meet the legal thresholds and jurisdictional requirements under the Rome Statute 

Sources: wiki, legalclarity.org