Bene captum male dimissum: la Corte penale internazionale accerta la violazione degli obblighi di cooperazione nella mancata consegna di Elmasry

di Luca Poltronieri Rossetti

SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione. – 2. Il procedimento ex art. 87, par. 7 dello Statuto di Roma. – 2.1 La posizione del Procuratore e la (contraddittoria) difesa italiana – 3. La decisione della Camera preliminare del 17 ottobre 2025. – 4. Il rinvio della decisione sul deferimento della mancata cooperazione all’Assemblea degli Stati Parte e al Consiglio di sicurezza delle Nazioni Unite. – 5. Le questioni di costituzionalità della l. n. 237/2012 sollevate dalla Corte d’appello di Roma. – 6. Considerazioni conclusive.

On 17 October 2025, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court issued a decision under Article 87(7) of the Rome Statute establishing that Italy failed to comply with its obligation to cooperate with the Court in the arrest and surrender of Libyan general Osama Elmasry Njeem, addressee of a warrant of arrest for crimes against humanity and war crimes issued on 18 January 2025. The Court, however, postponed the decision on whether to defer the issue of non-cooperation to the Assembly of States Parties and the United Nations Security Council. This contribution analyzes the Court’s reasoning regarding Italy’s violation of its cooperation obligations. It focuses on the inconsistencies in the Italian defense and how the Court used precedents to justify both its finding of non-compliance and its exercise of discretion concerning deferral to political bodies. The Chamber’s decision confirms the near-unanimous critical stance of international criminal law and procedure scholars, who have argued that certain provisions of Law No. 237/2012 on the cooperation with the Court – as interpreted by political and judicial bodies in this case – present serious shortcomings that prevent Italy from fully and expeditiously cooperating with the Court in the execution of crucial decisions. These provisions have now been brought before the Constitutional Court to assess their constitutionality.