Rosario Salvatore Aitala | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 September 1967  Catania |
| Occupation | Jurist |
| Website | https://www.icc-cpi.int/judges/judge-rosario-salvatore-aitala |
| Position held | Judges of the International Criminal Court (2018–2027) |
Rosario Salvatore Aitala is an Italian judge and prosecutor specialising in criminal law. [1] [2] Aitala was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court in 2017, for a mandate from 11 March 2018 to 10 March 2027. [3]
Aitala was born in Catania in Italy on 24 September 1967. [2]
Prior to becoming a judge, Aitala was a police officer. [4]
Aitala has been a judge and a prosecutor in Milan, Trapani and Rome for three decades, specialising in criminal law cases involving the Mafia, terrorism, corruption and international crime including terrorism. [2] [3]
On 6 [1] or 8 [3] December 2017, Aitala was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC), with 84 votes in favour by states party to the Rome Statute. [1] His term as an ICC judge is from 11 March 2018 to 10 March 2027. [3] In March 2023, Russia initiated a criminal investigation against Aitala, Tomoko Akane and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez in response of an arrest warrant against its president Vladimir Putin for the unlawful deportations of Ukrainian children to Russia during the Russian-Ukrainian war. [5] [6]
Aitala was a judge of Pre-trial Chamber II during 2018–2021. [3]
Aitala has been an advisor to Italian foreign ministers and the president of the Italian Senate. [2] In European Union (EU) roles, Aitala has been Coordinator of the Cocaine Route Monitoring and Support Programme of the European Union, and an advisor for EU assistance missions for justice and monitoring money laundering and economic crime. [7]
Aitala has carried out research and teaching in criminal law, geopolitics and international relations at LUISS Guido Carli, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (2006–2014 [7] ), and University of Rome Tor Vergata. [3]
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Universal jurisdiction is a legal principle that allows states or international organizations to claim criminal jurisdiction over an accused person regardless of where the alleged crime was committed, and regardless of the accused's nationality, country of residence, or any other relation to the prosecuting entity. Crimes prosecuted under universal jurisdiction are considered crimes against all, too serious to tolerate jurisdictional arbitrage. The concept of universal jurisdiction is therefore closely linked to the idea that some international norms are erga omnes, or owed to the entire world community, as well as to the concept of jus cogens – that certain international law obligations are binding on all states.
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The states parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court are those sovereign states that have ratified, or have otherwise become party to, the Rome Statute. The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court, an international court that has jurisdiction over certain international crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes that are committed by nationals of states parties or within the territory of states parties. States parties are legally obligated to co-operate with the Court when it requires, such as in arresting and transferring indicted persons or providing access to evidence and witnesses. States parties are entitled to participate and vote in proceedings of the Assembly of States Parties, which is the Court's governing body. Such proceedings include the election of such officials as judges and the Prosecutor, the approval of the Court's budget, and the adoption of amendments to the Rome Statute.
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