This Treaty shall constitute the founding legal instrument of the Court and shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with its purposes, principles, jurisdiction, independence, and fundamental rights.
Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as granting any person, State, organisation, government, military force, political party, corporation, donor, or other external body authority to control the independent judicial functions of the Court.
The Court shall remain independent in its judicial, prosecutorial, investigative, administrative, and enforcement functions.
The provisions of this Treaty concerning fundamental rights, fair proceedings, judicial independence, and protection against corruption shall apply throughout the operation of the Court.
Where a provision of this Treaty conflicts with a mandatory rule of applicable international law, the Court shall interpret and apply the provision consistently with that rule to the greatest extent legally possible.
Nothing in this Treaty shall prevent States Parties from providing greater cooperation, stronger protections for victims, stronger safeguards for defendants, or more extensive assistance to the Court than the minimum requirements established by this Treaty.
The Court may adopt Rules of the Court, regulations, standards, codes of conduct, administrative procedures, and other instruments necessary to give practical effect to this Treaty.
Such instruments shall remain subordinate to this Treaty and shall not contradict its fundamental provisions.
The official records of the Court shall be preserved securely and, subject to lawful restrictions, made accessible to the public.
The Court shall periodically review its administrative, technological, financial, judicial, and enforcement arrangements to ensure that they remain effective, independent, secure, and proportionate to its resources.
The Court shall seek to maintain a low-cost and decentralised operating structure where this can be achieved without compromising justice, security, fairness, or independence.
The Court may continue to operate through remote and distributed personnel, including judges, prosecutors, investigators, defence representatives, Enforcement Officers, administrative personnel, experts, interpreters, and other authorised participants located in different countries.
Nothing in this Treaty requires the Court to maintain a permanent headquarters where its functions can be lawfully and effectively performed through secure distributed and remote arrangements.
The Court shall maintain appropriate mechanisms for public accountability, transparency, financial oversight, judicial independence, and protection against corruption.
The Treaty shall remain open to further development through lawful amendments adopted according to Article 43.
The official version of this Treaty, together with any duly adopted amendments, shall constitute the definitive legal framework governing the Court.
This Treaty shall enter into force in accordance with Article 47.
The Articles of this Treaty shall be read together as a single legal instrument, and no Article shall be interpreted in isolation where doing so would defeat the purpose or operation of another provision.
The Court shall preserve the principles of justice, accountability, independence, transparency, fairness, mercy where appropriate, and protection of victims throughout its operation.
The final interpretation of this Treaty shall be determined through the lawful judicial and interpretative mechanisms established by the Treaty itself.