Part 2 Jurisdiction, Admissibility, and Applicable Law: Compétence, Recevabilité, Et Droit Applicable, Art.5 Crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court/Crimes relevant de la compétence de la Cour

Author(s):  
Schabas William A

This chapter comments on Article 5 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Article 5 sets out the subject-matter jurisdiction of the Court. It declares that the jurisdiction is limited to ‘the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole’. It lists the four crimes over which the Court has subject-matter jurisdiction: (i) the crime of genocide; (ii) crimes against humanity; (iii) war crimes; and (iv) the crime of aggression. The chapter argues that the function of Article 5 seems largely symbolic, a consequence of the drafting history. At its beginnings, when it was article 22 of the International Law Association 1993 draft, article 5 was described as the ‘core’ or the ‘heart’ of the Court's jurisdiction ratione materiae, providing an enumeration of crimes whose detailed description was to be left to treaties, customary law, and judicial interpretation. But the Preparatory Committee insisted upon precise definitions, and as the texts emerged — they became articles 6, 7, and 8 of the Statute — the function of article 5 became increasingly redundant.

Author(s):  
Эдвард Пилипсон ◽  
Edvard Pilipson

Contractual succession of legal claims and liabilities in administering rules of private international law is a quite complicated practical problem. The correct choice of the applicable law is the priority in this situation. As of today inheritance of movables, including claims, liabilities takes place according to the connecting factors’ rules “lex patriae” and “lex domicilii” which according to the offered assumption, are not adequate in a situation of the inheritance by contract. It is worth mentioning that in some cases the right to claim, liability acquires legal regime called “res in transitu” which requires special succession regime. Secondly, it is necessary to evaluate the subject matter of the contract. Inheritance by contract is mediated by the tools of the contractual right which is based on the concluded contract with the cross material perquisites evaluated in a certain sum. Due to this circumstance the assessment should be accepted as a basis for the contract price. Since in accordance with the current legislation the assessment can be made solely in relation to a constant liability (for example, in the situation with a contract of purchase), in case of a contractual inheritance of legal claims (cession), it is not clear how provisional assessment can be made, as the cost of liabilities can change drastically depending on circumstances in the course of a certain period of time. This article is devoted to the investigation of these problems.


Author(s):  
Schabas William A

This chapter comments on Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Article 7 defines crimes against humanity, one of four categories of offence within the subject-matter jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The classic definitions of crimes against humanity, in such instruments as the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal, are vague and open-ended, leaving courts to interpret the scope of such expressions as ‘persecution’ and ‘inhumane acts’. Out of concern with the uncertain parameters of the crime, the drafters of the Rome Statute included extra language designed to restrain efforts at generous or liberal interpretation. The five distinct ‘contextual elements’ of crimes against humanity are: (i) an attack directed against any civilian population; (ii) a State or organizational policy; (iii) an attack of a widespread or systematic nature; (iv) a nexus between the individual act and the attack; and (v) knowledge of the attack.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 685-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
RACHEL KILLEAN ◽  
EITHNE DOWDS ◽  
AMANDA KRAMER

AbstractThe inspiration for this article came from a call for amicus curiae briefs issued in April 2016 by the Office of the Co-Investigating Judges in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). The call sought guidance on: whether, under customary international law applicable between 1975 and 1979, an attack by a state or organization against members of its own armed forces may amount to an attack directed against a civilian population for the purpose of constituting a crime against humanity under Article 5 of the ECCC Law. We argue that customary international law justifies a finding that an attack on members of the armed forces can constitute crimes against humanity. In particular, the article focuses on the importance placed on the persecution element of crimes against humanity in the post-Second World War jurisprudence, and the broad interpretation of the term ‘civilian’. The article also examines the jurisprudence of contemporary international courts, finding that in some cases the courts have interpreted the term ‘civilian’ as incorporating hors de combat. However, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and International Criminal Court (ICC) have moved towards a more restrictive interpretation of the term ‘civilian’, potentially excluding members of the armed forces. We argue that this move is regressive, and against the spirit in which the offence of crimes against humanity was created. The ECCC has an opportunity to counter this restrictive approach, thereby narrowing the protection gap which crimes against humanity were initially created to close.


Author(s):  
Schabas William A

This chapter comments on Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Article 8 defines war crimes, one of four categories of offence within the subject-matter jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Much more than a codification of earlier law and practice, the Rome Statute's provisions on war crimes provide a relatively comprehensive codification of war crimes committed in non-international armed conflict. They also recognize new crimes, such as the recruitment of child soldiers and attacks on peacekeepers. However, they also fall short in some important respects, failing to provide adequate criminalization of prohibited weapons, the result of a nuclear impasse.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jozef Valuch ◽  
Tomáš Gábriš ◽  
Ondrej Hamuľák

Abstract The aim of this paper is to evaluate and differentiate between the phenomena of cyberwarfare and information warfare, as manifestations of what we perceive as postmodern warfare. We describe and analyse the current examples of the use the postmodern warfare and the reactions of states and international bodies to these phenomena. The subject matter of this paper is the relationship between new types of postmodern conflicts and the law of armed conflicts (law of war). Based on ICJ case law, it is clear that under current legal rules of international law of war, cyber attacks as well as information attacks (often performed in the cyberspace as well) can only be perceived as “war” if executed in addition to classical kinetic warfare, which is often not the case. In most cases perceived “only” as a non-linear warfare (postmodern conflict), this practice nevertheless must be condemned as conduct contrary to the principles of international law and (possibly) a crime under national laws, unless this type of conduct will be recognized by the international community as a “war” proper, in its new, postmodern sense.


Author(s):  
R. W. Ianni

To the impressive list of Italian periodicals on international law led by the prestigious Rivista di Diritto Internazionale there has now been added The Italian Yearbook of International Law, published exclusively in English. Italian scholars have made a very significant contribution to doctrinal developments in international law; however, some of their work has gone unnoticed because Italian is not among the languages in widespread use in international law circles. In addition, Italian scholarship has suffered somewhat from what some consider to be an overly theoretical or abstract approach to the subject matter. While it is always a noteworthy occasion to welcome a new member into the family of international law yearbooks, the advent of the Italian yearbook is particularly noteworthy, contributing as it does to the accessibility of a broad range of material and learned comment. It is appropriate, therefore, that the first issues of The Italian Yearbook of International Law receive extended comment in the pages of this Yearbook.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 15-31
Author(s):  
Joanna Wardzała

The young generation in terms of work, consumption and success  The subject matter of the young generation in the social context has been repeatedly examined and many studies have been prepared on this topic, for example the works of K. Wyka and earlier K. Manheim. Increasingly, the issue of the younger generation is discussed in the area of issues related to consumption and work. The article is of a theoretical and empirical nature; it is an attempt to portray the young generation in its two most important roles on the market — the consumer and the entrepreneur. It is an introductory element to the problems of consumer behaviors and entrepreneurial behaviors of the young generation. The publication draws attention to the expectations of the young generation about the applicable law and the economy. The first part of the article is characterized by sociological considerations and serves to determine the meaning of the young generation in consumer society, in particular, to outline the framework of youth, which in literature is sometimes defined not only by age categories. It is also an interdisciplinary review of theories, both those created in the past and those quite contemporary. In the second part, it refers to the results of qualitative research relating to the opinions and expectations of the young generation about consumption, work and success.  


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Michael Greig ◽  
James D. Meernik

The International Criminal Court (icc) came into force in July 2002 with the potential to drastically alter both the war fighting and peacemaking behavior of states. Theiccis designed to try and subsequently punish those found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Supporters of theicchave argued that its establishment will erode the norm of impunity that state and military leaders have historically enjoyed. Yet, another logic suggests that the initiation of aniccinvestigation or the issuance of an arrest warrant for individuals embroiled in an ongoing dispute may make matters worse. Such individuals may see little reason to stop fighting and reach a settlement if conflict resolution results in their detention in The Hague. Indeed, suspected war criminals and their patrons may wish to escalate their violence in order to avoid showing any sign of weakness or possibility of capitulation lest their enemies press the fight or their rivals seek to undermine their authority. In this article, we explore the potential impact of theiccon the likelihood of peace by examining the impact of actions by theicc– the initiation of investigations into conflict situations and the issuance of arrest warrants for those suspected of committing violations of international law – on the likelihood of mediation. Our findings suggest that whileiccarrest warrants can encourage mediation, the initiation of investigations by theicccan actually undermine the occurrence of mediation.


1942 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 614-620
Author(s):  
William Marion Gibson

In explaining the nature of international law, each of the two major schools of thought draws upon legal philosophy and practice for evidence in support of its interpretation. It is not the purpose of this note to offer any conclusions or proofs as to the validity of the reasoning of one or the other of the two schools. It would require more than the subject-matter here considered to prove the “Monist” position, or to detract from that of the “Dualist.” However, inasmuch as state practice is one of the guides to the resolution of the debate on the nature of international law, it is hoped that an explanation of the attitude of the Colombian Supreme Court concerning the relationship of pacta to the national constitution and legislation of that state may merit mention.


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