The focus of this article will be on the prosecution and punishment of perpetrators of violations of international criminal law. The article will analyze the desirability and viability of international judicial institutions as a matter of enforcement of international criminal law. In the course of the present article an attempt will also be made to study the principles of state sovereignty and international criminal jurisdiction. It will also make overall assessment of the role played by the United Nations (UN) war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in respect of prosecution for crimes committed in armed conflicts. This article will also look at the competence of the UN to establish war crimes tribunals.