Prosecuting ISIS Leaders Before the International Criminal Court

One of the main impediments of the International Criminal Court in dealing with the issue of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham/Greater Syria ("ISIS" aka "ISIL", "Daesh" or "IS") is its power to exercise jurisdiction. The Court has jurisdiction to deal with crimes as follows: 1- A State Party refers the situation to the Court pursuant to Article 14. 2- If under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the Security Council refers a situation. 3- If, according to Article 15, the prosecutor, on his own initiative, opens an investigation upon notification of the crime subject to the jurisdiction of the Court. Furthermore, since Iraq and Syria are not Parties to the Rome Statute, the lack of co-operation could hinder the pursuit of ISIS members before the International Criminal Court. Thus, the only possible option in the prosecution of ISIS could be the United Nations Security Council. This paper aims to study the question of possibility or predictability of investigating this terrorist group leaders before the International Criminal Court and challenges facing such an investigation.