Implementing Universal Jurisdiction Over Grave Breaches of the Geneva Conventions

2000 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 815-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard van Elst
Keyword(s):  
War Crimes ◽  
Universal Jurisdiction ◽  
Geneva Conventions

As the most serious war crimes (grave breaches) should not be left unpunished, the 1949 Geneva Conventions contain an unusually worded obligation to either prosecute such a suspected war criminal or to hand him over to another country to be tried there (aut judicare aut dedere in stead of aut dedere aut judicare). Fifty years on, less than one in six of the parties to the Conventions have established universal jurisdiction over grave breaches which is necessary to prosecute a suspect if he was to be found in their country. An assessment and classification of the Conventions, national laws, prosecutions and practical obstacles. But if, what God forbid, these Conventions should ever have to be applied, they must be obeyed.M.W. Mouton, Diplomatic Conference, Geneva 16 July 1949

Amnesties and international humanitarian law: Purpose and scope

2018 ◽  
Vol 101 (910) ◽  
pp. 357-363
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflict ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Universal Jurisdiction ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Additional Protocol ◽  
Geneva Conventions

States party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I of 1977 have an obligation to take measures necessary to suppress all acts contrary to their provisions. Moreover, States must investigate war crimes allegedly committed by their nationals or on their territory, and other war crimes over which they have jurisdiction, such as on the basis of universal jurisdiction, and, if appropriate, prosecute the suspects. In accordance with these obligations and the limits they impose, States may adopt certain measures during and in the aftermath of armed conflicts to promote reconciliation and peace, one of which is amnesties. International humanitarian law (IHL) contains rules pertaining to the granting and scope of amnesties. Specifically, Article 6(5) of Protocol II additional to the Geneva Conventions relating to non-international armed conflicts (NIACs) provides that, at the end of hostilities, the authorities in power shall endeavour to grant the broadest possible amnesty to persons who have participated in the armed conflict, or those deprived of their liberty for reasons related to the armed conflict. Importantly, under customary IHL (as identified in Rule 159 of the ICRC customary IHL study), this excludes persons suspected of, accused of, or sentenced for war crimes in NIACs.

scholarly journals EU support to domestic prosecution of violations of International Humanitarian Law

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-66
Author(s):  
Bettina Steible
Keyword(s):  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
Universal Jurisdiction ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Geneva Conventions ◽  
War Criminals ◽  
Third Dimension ◽  
Eu Support ◽  
The Eu

The Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 establish an obligation to ensure respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) at all times. This summary obligation is now understood as enshrining a mechanism of collective responsibility whereby all State parties commit to adopt all the necessary and reasonable measures to prevent and stop violations of IHL, but also to prosecute them when they amount to war crimes. This third dimension is comprised in articles 49/50/129/146 of Conventions, which impose an obligation on its State parties to extradite or prosecute (aut dedere aut judicare) alleged perpetrators of grave breaches, including on the basis of universal jurisdiction if needed. As the EU has manifested its interest in ensuring respect for IHL with the adoption of the Guidelines on promoting compliance with IHL, the objective of this article is to analyze whether and to what extent the EU has developed instruments facilitating domestic prosecution of alleged war criminals pursuant to the Geneva Conventions.

Additional Protocol II: Elevating the minimum threshold of intensity?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Martha M. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Case Law ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Minimum Threshold ◽  
Additional Protocol ◽  
Geneva Conventions ◽  
Scope Of Application ◽  
Treaty Interpretation ◽  
Armed Violence

Abstract This paper examines the notion of intensity in the context of common Article 3 and Additional Protocol II (AP II) to the Geneva Conventions in order to establish whether AP II demands a different intensity threshold from the minimum threshold of intensity contemplated in common Article 3. The paper considers the question of whether the inclusion of the term “sustained” in the phrase “sustained and concerted military operations” intrinsic to the threshold in Article 1(1) of AP II introduces a temporal requirement in addition to mere protracted armed violence. The paper argues that the inclusion of the term “sustained” in Article 1(1) of AP II potentially demands prolonged protracted armed violence. The research aims to contribute to the existing literature on the notion of intensity demanded by the scope of application inherent in AP II through an interrogation of the phrase “sustained” military operations by employing the rules of treaty interpretation and by examining relevant case law and scholarly debate. In this way, the author hopes to contribute towards filling a lacuna with regard to the minimum threshold for intensity in the context of treaty law concerned with the classification of non-international armed conflicts.

scholarly journals SYRIA – “THE WAR WITH MULTIPLE PROXIES”. VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-178
Author(s):  
Daniela Vetina Ene
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil War ◽  
International Conflict ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Amnesty International ◽  
Geneva Conventions ◽  
The Arab Spring

The civil war in Syria, triggered by the pro-democracy demonstrations of the "Arab Spring", was a complicated combination of religious, cultural and ethnic-identity contradictions. The non-international conflict was turned into a "battlefield" for foreign powers, which led to the transformation of a civil war into a "war with multiple proxies". The United Nations' efforts to mediate the conflict, based on a six-point plan, remained in the draft phase. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced flagrant violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by the al-Assad regime, which has widely used non-discriminatory weapons banned in violation of the Geneva Conventions, 1949. The Bashār al-Assad regime is accused by the international community of being guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but attempts to incriminate it have failed.

scholarly journals International Crimes before Dutch Courts: Recent Developments

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 895-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELIES VAN SLIEDREGT
Keyword(s):  
War Crimes ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Universal Jurisdiction ◽  
European Convention ◽  
District Court ◽  
Vienna Convention ◽  
Residence Permit ◽  
Appeal Court ◽  
The Hague ◽  
The Right

In the early 1990s, two former members of the Afghan secret service applied for a residence permit in the Netherlands. Their request was denied on the basis of the exclusion clause of Article 1F(a) of the Vienna Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. There were serious reasons for suspecting that the men had committed war crimes during the Afghan civil war of 1979–92. In 2000, the immigration authorities transmitted the files of the two men to the public prosecution office, which initiated prosecutions in 2003. At the trial, defence counsel raised various preliminary challenges. They argued that the case should be declared inadmissible since relying on the immigration files would violate the nemo tenetur principle and the right against self-incrimination enshrined in Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Furthermore, the court had no universal jurisdiction over violations of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions since there was no international rule mandating a right to universal jurisdiction over war crimes committed in non-international armed conflicts. The Hague District Court dismissed the defence challenges and eventually convicted the Afghan nationals to 9 and 12 years' imprisonment. The Hague Appeal Court endorsed most of the findings of the District Court and confirmed the convictions and sentences. The reasoning underlying the decisions, both at first instance and at appeal, raise questions particularly with regard to universal jurisdiction. In this article the defence arguments are explored and the reasoning of the courts is analysed.

Crimes against Humanity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Van Schaack
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Penal Code ◽  
International Criminal Law ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Geneva Conventions ◽  
Superior Responsibility

This chapter identifies three unfortunate gaps in the United States’ federal penal code: The United States lacks a crimes against humanity statute, the war crimes statute has a limited jurisdictional reach and does not conform to US obligations under the Geneva Conventions, and the code lacks express mention of superior responsibility. These gaps significantly hinder the reach of the United States’ prosecutorial authorities and have led to instances of impunity, and incomplete accountability, where perpetrators within US jurisdiction cannot be prosecuted for their substantive crimes and must be dealt with through immigration and other remedies. The chapter then evaluates various proposed amendments to Title 18, drawing upon previous bills, international criminal law, and other federal statutes. It closes by arguing that discrete statutory amendments would enable the United States to exercise leadership in atrocities prevention and response without increasing the risk that US personnel will be subjected to litigation overseas.

scholarly journals PROSECUTING ALLEGED ISRAELI WAR CRIMINALS IN ENGLAND AND WALES

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-114
Author(s):  
Daniel Machover ◽  
Kate Maynard
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Geneva Conventions ◽  
War Criminals

The criminal justice system in England & Wales is faced with allegations made by Palestinians of Israeli war crimes contrary to the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 (and which in some cases also involve allegations of torture contrary to s134 Criminal Justice Act 1988) – how will it cope with this challenge?

scholarly journals PERBUDAKAN SEKSUAL (SEXUAL SLAVERY) SEBAGAI KEJAHATAN KEMANUSIAAN DAN PERANG DI BAWAH HUKUM INTERNASIONAL

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Rohman
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Rome Statute ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
Internal Conflict ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Sexual Slavery ◽  
Geneva Conventions ◽  
Set Up ◽  
International Instruments

Abstrac Almost every case of armed conflict both internal conflict and inter-state conflicts, violations that fall into the category of crimes against humanity. One such crime is sexual slavery. Nevertheless, the true multiple instrument products have set about sexual slavery, but in fact violations still occur, so how to regulate the instrument set up and how the application of the instrument. The approach used in this study a statutory approach and approach the case, it is intended to determine the international instruments which regulate and application of the crime of sexual slavery. Sexual slavery has been set up in several instruments and is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Conventions of 1949, Additional Protocol II of 1977, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Rome Statute, anti-torture convention so that it can be regarded as war crimes. Sexual slavery is expressed as slavery not as rape. Evidently some tribunal (ICTY, ICTR, Tokyo Tribunal, and ICC) which has been in effect and entrap the perpetrators of sexual slavery was found guilty.Key words: Sexual slavery, Crime Humanity, War Crimes and International Law

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