ABSTRACT
Attempts to address serious crimes after war date from the end of World War I, when the Versailles Treaty provided for criminal responsibility of German state officials. After the end of World War II the establishment of a permanent international criminal court was part of the agenda of the United Nations (UN) and some international lawyers. From 1948 the International Law Commission (ILC), the UN body devoted to the progressive development and codification of international law, worked to develop two aspects of international criminal law: the drafting of a code of crimes against humanity, and the drafting of a statute for the establishment of an international criminal court. In 1954 the ILC produced the Draft Code of Offences Against the Peace and Security of Mankind, which was updated several times until its final draft was completed in 1996.
