Though questions have circled around Woewiyu's trial questioning why his case wasn't taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) under international humanitarian law, Woewiyu was unable to be tried in the ICC. The ICC in the Hague has only had jurisdiction since July, 2002, and therefore does not have jurisdiction over crimes committed during Liberia's First Civil War, spanning from 1989-1996. Woewiyu's war crimes were committed before both the existence of the ICC and before Liberia ratified the Rome Statute, the founding document of the ICC. Liberia ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2004. In addition, since the charges are related to U.S. immigration and Woewiyu had legal residency in the U.S., the United States holds jurisdiction. This does, however, provide the opportunity to document alleged war crimes committed in Liberia by someone residing in the U.S. in a legitimate criminal court of law.