Judging by recent news, dictators had better get good lawyers. First, Ivory Coast announced that it intends to hand over Laurent Gbagbo, its recently deposed strongman, to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Then the Tunisian authorities announced that they have prepared 18 charges against former ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. He may have fled to Saudi Arabia, but Tunisians have a warrant out for his arrest and they will be ready, if they ever get the chance to prosecute him.

The biggest possibility of a former dictator receiving his due is still in Egypt. Egyptians cheered when they heard that Hosni Mubarak and his two sons had been detained for questioning. Tora prison, which once held Mubarak's enemies, is now hosting a who's who of the former regime.

But a potentially even bigger development came quietly last Tuesday, when the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil al-Araby, said his country was in the early stages of ratifying the Rome Statute. In other words, Egypt intends joining the International Criminal Court. That may seem like a footnote to the recent revolution, but the prospect of Egypt joining this international legal body has enormous implications.

For starters, this move will raise the possibility that Mubarak's final days - if he lives long enough - could be spent defending himself at The Hague court. Furthermore, other members of the regime, particularly those who are responsible for the murder of protesters during the revolution, let alone for crimes committed during the regime's rule, could find themselves in the dock.

It will make some other people, far removed from Cairo, a little queasy. It is well known that Egypt, as a close ally of the United States, became a common destination for the rendition of terrorism suspects.

Hosni Mubarak | Hague trial