In late 2024 and early 2025 the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued several arrest warrants in the context of politically sensitive investigations, including those regarding the ongoing armed conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine.[1] Some of these decisions concern alleged perpetrators holding high-level political positions in States that are close allies of Italy, such as Israel. Furthermore, in January 2025, Italy was requested by the Court to execute on its territory an arrest warrant issued against General Osema Almasri Najeem in the context of the investigation in Libya. Italy’s recent behaviour in relation to arrest warrants in the situations in Palestine and Libya is indicative of a shift from the traditionally supportive attitude to a more cautious (and lees cooperative) one in its relations with international criminal tribunals. This contribution analyses the Italian Government’s conduct, which shows a discrepancy between the rhetorical support for the ICC and the lack of actual cooperation in the execution of its requests.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Luca Poltronieri Rossetti
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on the decisions to be taken at the EU level regarding sanctions against Russia
CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, XVII LEGISLATURE, 530th MEETING, 26 NOVEMBER 2015.
The issue of sanctions against Russia was dealt with also in the meeting of the Chamber of Deputies held on 26 November 2015. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mr Paolo Gentiloni Silveri, answering a parliamentary question regarding the meeting of the G20 held in Antalya, clarified the Government’s position on the sanctionatory regime and the future decisions to be adopted at the European level in that respect. He stated:
Sanctions against Russia: a parliamentary motion approved
CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, XVII LEGISLATURE, 450th MEETING, THURSDAY 25 JUNE 2015.
On 25 June 2015, the Chamber of Deputies was called upon to vote on several parliamentary motions concerning initiatives aimed at lifting the sanctions of the European Union against the Russian Federation and the achievement of a politico-diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine. The Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Mr Carlo Calenda, illustrated to the Chamber the opinion of the Government with regard to those motions. He stated:
The Undersecretary of State for Defence on immunity from criminal jurisdiction for the Italian military personnel deployed in Iraq
On 12 December 2014, the Undersecretary of State for Defence, Mr Domenico Rossi, in response to a parliamentary question, clarified the Italian position on the issue of the status of Italian military personnel deployed in Iraq with the task of training Iraqi security forces. In particular, Mr Rossi addressed the issue of immunity of the said personnel from Iraqi criminal jurisdiction, resulting from an exchange of diplomatic notes between the two Governments to that effect, based on the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, and stressed its binding force and applicability to the entire territory of Iraq, including the autonomous region of Kurdistan. He stated:
