The International Criminal Court was established from the July 1, 2002, entry into force of the Rome Statute. The first decisions rendered by the Court were published in July 2004, and by the end of December 2006, the number of decisions had reached 230.

The Annotated Digest of the International Criminal Court, 2004-2006, is the first volume in a series that compiles the most significant legal findings from public decisions rendered by the International Criminal Court. In total, 230 decisions were reviewed for the preparation of the present volume, which examines the decisions issued from 2004 and 2006. The abstracts selected for inclusion in this volume concern the first situations referred to the Court by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and the Sudan, as well the initiation of cases against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen.

Abstracts were selected based on the following criteria: (i) clarification of a legal issue or interpretation of a legal provision; (ii) implementation or application of a legal provision; and (iii) meaningfulness with respect to international justice, human rights, or international humanitarian law.

Abstracts are quoted in their original language, and a summary in English is included where only a French-language passage is available. Each abstract is organized under the relevant Statute, Rule of Procedure and Evidence, or Regulation of the Court, together with a short description of the topic. The Digest series is intended, foremost, as a tool for international criminal law practitioners and academics interested in public humanitarian law and the work of the Court. An index and reference guide is provided to facilitate cross-referencing among the volumes in the series.