The Hague, 29 September 2026. Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) held their annual judicial retreat in the Netherlands, focusing on proposals to amend the Court’s legal framework concerning the disciplinary regime for elected officials.
During the retreat, the judges agreed to amend Chapter 8 of the Regulations of the Court, concerning disciplinary measures, to clarify the applicable procedures and align the Regulations with provisions of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence relating to the disciplinary regime for elected officials, as amended by the Assembly of States Parties in 2025. The proposed amendments will be submitted to the Advisory Committee on Legal Texts.
The judges also agreed on several amendments to the ICC Code of Judicial Ethics. Article 12 will be amended to expressly state that non-compliance with the Code may constitute misconduct and that the ethical standards set out in the Code are binding. The judges also finalised an additional paragraph to Article 10 concerning the use of social media by ICC judges. The revised Code will be published shortly.
The retreat further addressed the Court’s internal working practices. The judges updated the Guideline on Trial Preparation and Judgment Drafting, annexed to the Chambers Practice Manual, incorporating lessons learned and additional best practices for trial preparation.
In addition, the judges updated a procedural template for Conduct of Proceeding decisions and agreed to make the template publicly available. The amendments to the relevant annexes of the Chambers Practice Manual will also be published shortly.
The annual retreat provided an opportunity for the ICC judges to review and further develop the Court’s judicial and ethical framework, as well as internal procedures supporting its judicial work.
