Those who decided to flee from oppressive regimes and go into exile 30 years ago were admired in the rich countries of the West and acclaimed in the press. The view was that refugees had “chosen freedom” a museum in Berlin honours the memory of 136 people who died between 1961 and 1989 attempting to cross the Berlin Wall.

When the USSR crashed, so did its foreign ministry and its well-trained employees, who leached away into international commercial employment. Now they have regained some state support and a clear objective.

So far all the 20 prosecutions in the 11 years of the ICC’s existence have been brought over African conflicts. The US, China, Russia and Israel haven’t even signed up to the court, and actively seek exemption from it.