Impunity is repugnant to the rule of law  A key principle of the rule of law is that everyone is subject to the law – even the agents of states [1] . It must apply equally to the most as well as the least powerful.  This must apply to international criminal law as well as the domestic criminal law. It would be unjustifiable for one individual to be able to face prosecution as a private citizen for genocide, but not a head of state who has much greater capacity to engage in such acts. It effectively would allow genocide, which is prohibited by a convention the vast majority of states have signed and ratified, as an expression of national sovereignty.  [1] ‘What is the rule of law?’, United Nations Rule of Law,