The Relationship Between International Criminal Justice and the Maintenance of Peace

International criminal justice, as it has been conceived and developed in the nineteenth century, aims to prevent and repress grave breaches of fundamental values of the international community as a whole. Nonetheless, it is disputed whether international criminal justice could be understood beyond its inherent criminal and procedural features. In particular, the question might arise on whether international criminal justice may be perceived as an instrument for enforcing primary international rules not criminal in nature; namely, as an instrument of international law intended to maintain or re- store international peace and security.