Treaty-Based Regulation and Evidence-Extradition Agreements as Critical Tools in the Fight against International Criminal Wrongdoing

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Courtney Martin
Keyword(s):  
International Criminal ◽  
Universal Jurisdiction ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Terra Firma ◽  
Draft Article ◽  
Bilateral Agreement ◽  
Draft Convention

Abstract Draft Article 7 of the UN Draft Convention regarding Crimes Against Humanity provides the terra firma for States to establish and exercise a range of jurisdictional bases, including universal jurisdiction, to be reinforced by State-to-State agreements regarding evidence-extradition for the benefit of downstream truth and justice seeking projects. Legal analysis demonstrates there persists an insistence on treaty regulation and clearly particularised laws at local and international levels to successfully pursue international criminal accountability. Draft Article 7 will give credence to universal jurisdiction, complement the International Criminal Court’s workings and counter its temporal limitations, and negate politically-motivated invocation of the doctrine. A case study involving Australian extradition proceedings highlights how evidence can be obtained efficiently on the basis of a pre-existing bilateral agreement between culturally distinct States. Formal arrangements regarding evidence-exchange will espouse a greater willingness by States to cooperate across borders and will strengthen universality by taking some of the guess-work out of its exercise.

scholarly journals The concept of knowledge as a subjective element in the criminal offense of crimes against humanity

2021 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 310-331
Author(s):  
Olivera Ševo
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Case Law ◽  
International Criminal Law ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Subjective Element ◽  
Analysis Of Knowledge

The subject of this paper is the analysis of knowledge as a subjective element in terms of crimes against humanity in international criminal law. Starting from the fact that committing an act within a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population is a circumstance that turns a "common" crime into a crime against humanity, the paper seeks to answer the question of whether knowledge of committing an act within such an attack is an independent subjective element and whether there is a unified position regarding the necessary content of knowledge in international criminal law. The paper is based on a linguistic, normative, systematic and comparative legal analysis of relevant provisions of international criminal law sources, a documentary analysis of sample judgments of the three most important international courts, as well as a case study that analyzes this subjective element in the legislation and case law of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results of the research show that in terms of the independence of knowledge as a subjective element in crimes against humanity, there is a relatively consistent position in international criminal law, while in terms of the content of knowledge there is no such agreement.

Part III Epilogue and Reflections, 8 Conclusions and the Way Forward

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kittichaisaree Kriangsak
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
Criminal Court ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Legal Assistance ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
International Peace ◽  
Draft Convention

The chapter describes international efforts to close the gaps in existing treaties on the obligation to extradite or prosecute. These include: (i) the joint initiative for the adoption of a new international instrument on mutual legal assistance and extradition for the effective investigation and prosecution of the most serious crimes of international concern, in particular, the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, by domestic jurisdictions; and (ii) the International Law Commission's work on a draft convention on Crimes against Humanity. The chapter also explores the issue of capacity building for the national judiciary and a regional judicial mechanism to help alleviate the burden of the International Criminal Court; national peace/reconciliation, international peace/stability, and other considerations against the implementation of the obligation to extradite or prosecute; the operation of transitional justice as an alternative to prosecution; and the implications of the atrocities in Syria for the future prospects of this obligation in the context of international criminal justice.

The Crimes Against Humanity Convention, (Overlooked) African Lessons, and the Delicate Dance of Immunity

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Max du Plessis
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
South African ◽  
Rome Statute ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
International Criminal Justice ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Draft Convention ◽  
National Systems ◽  
Realist Perspective

Abstract In a foreword to a special issue of this Journal on the proposed Crimes Against Humanity Convention (CAHC), important questions were raised, including whether such a convention is truly needed, whether such a convention is politically feasible and whether any provisions in the draft articles should be modified. In this piece, the author considers the questions raised, and poses answers from an African and realist perspective, having litigated some of the international criminal justice cases before South African courts. The author contends that the drafters of the Convention would do well to take meaningful account of the domestication of international criminal justice, and the lessons to be learned from national systems that have found themselves at the forefront of the very debates that have animated the drafters of the CAHC, and the Rome Statute before it. If those lessons are to be taken seriously — including the lessons generated by African states and their courts — then the draft Convention might well be improved and some of its most animating provisions sharpened.

scholarly journals Laying the Foundations for a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 909-957
Author(s):  
Claus Kreß ◽  
Sévane Garibian
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Genocide Convention ◽  
International Criminal Justice ◽  
Draft Convention

Abstract How far have we come in laying the foundations for a Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity? The co-editors of this symposium conclude that solid groundwork has been laid and hope that the current momentum will be maintained. At the same time, they caution against a ‘rush to conclusion’ as they see room for considerable refinement of many of the proposed provisions as well as the need for a genuine attempt to address the unresolved questions of immunity ratione materiae and amnesty. At this juncture, it is not easy to predict whether a meaningful new draft convention can be presented without further deepening the divide among states about international criminal justice. But it can safely be stated that every additional investment in intellectual energy and time to arrive at the formulation of such a draft is worthy of the effort. The adoption of a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity and preferably one that also updates the Genocide Convention would mark another milestone in the evolution of the international criminal justice system.

‘With or Without You’: Why Italy Should Incorporate Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide Into Its National Legal System

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 698-714
Author(s):  
Luigi Prosperi
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Legal System ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Criminal Court ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Genocide Convention ◽  
International Obligation ◽  
Draft Convention ◽  
International Law Commission

Abstract By ratifying the Genocide Convention, Italy undertook an obligation to enact legislation ‘to provide effective penalties for persons guilty of genocide’. Accordingly, in 1967 the legislator incorporated the offences enumerated in the convention into the domestic legal system. As it was under no such obligation with regard to crimes against humanity, Italy has not criminalized them. Two major legal issues arise from this decision. First, Italy may be unable to execute cooperation requests submitted by the International Criminal Court, and thus breach an international obligation. Furthermore, domestic authorities can only charge suspects with ‘corresponding’ ordinary offences, which are subject to statutes of limitations. Both issues are addressed in the Draft Convention on Crimes Against Humanity adopted by the International Law Commission, whose provisions require States Parties to enact legislation to ensure that under domestic criminal law such crimes constitute offences and are not subject to a statute of limitations.

scholarly journals “Complete Labelling” and Domestic Prosecutions for Crimes Against Humanity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier S. Eskauriatza
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
International Criminal Justice ◽  
Mexican Drug War ◽  
Drug Cartels ◽  
The U.S

AbstractFair labelling is an established principle of criminal justice that scrutinises the way that States use language in labelling criminal defendants and their conduct. I argue that “complete labelling” is a related but separate principle which has not received any explicit attention from commentators. Whereas fair labelling focuses, usually, on the protection of defendant’s rights, the principle of complete labelling explains and justifies whether the labels attached appropriately represent the nature and scale of the wrong done to the community. As a case study, I apply this lens in the context of regional (U.S./Mexican) criminal justice responses to crimes against humanity perpetrated by “drug-cartels” in the context of the Mexican Drug War. Successive administrations in Mexico and the U.S. have tended to charge cartel leaders (and/or their political supporters) with so-called “transnational crimes” (for example, drug-trafficking, money-laundering, bribery/corruption). This is despite the fact that many of the most powerful cartels have controlled territory, attacked entire towns, carried out acts of terror, and disappeared thousands of people. The principle of complete labelling is useful in normative terms because it helps in the critical examination of a State’s prosecutorial practices, exposing problems that might otherwise be missed. In relation to the case study discussed, for example, a focus on complete labelling helps to expose the regional prosecutorial policy as either an unjustified exercise in selectivity or, at worst, an expression of collective denial. After considering certain counteracting reflexions which speak to some of the foundational anxieties of international criminal justice, the article concludes that domestic prosecutions for crimes against humanity in the context of drug-cartels may, sometimes, be justified.

The Diplomacy of Universal Jurisdiction: The Political Branches and the Transnational Prosecution of International Crimes

2011 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Máximo Langer
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
Criminal Court ◽  
United Nations Security Council ◽  
Universal Jurisdiction ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Customary International Law ◽  
International Crimes ◽  
International Criminal Tribunals

Under universal jurisdiction, any state in the world may prosecute and try the core international crimes— crimes against humanity, genocide, torture, and war crimes—without any territorial, personal, or national-interest link to the crime in question whenit was committed.The jurisdictional claim is predicated on the atrocious nature of the crime and legally based on treaties or customary international law. Unlike the regime of international criminal tribunals created by the United Nations Security Council and the enforcement regime of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the regime of universal jurisdiction is completely decentralized.

scholarly journals Consistency of international sentencing: ICTY and ICTR case study

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 539-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbora Holá ◽  
Catrien Bijleveld ◽  
Alette Smeulers
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Cold War ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
International Criminal Tribunal ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
Sentence Length ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Post Cold War ◽  
International Criminal Tribunals

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda are the first, post Cold War international criminal tribunals convicting perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Their sentencing practice has been largely criticized as inconsistent. This quantitative study addresses the criticism and empirically investigates the consistency of international sentencing. The extent to which the selected factors predict sentence length is tested in a multiple regression analysis. The analysis suggests that similar, legally relevant patterns have emerged in the sentencing practice of both tribunals. Sentencing in international criminal practice does not appear to be less consistent than sentencing under domestic jurisdictions.

The ‘Responsibility to Prosecute’ Core International Crimes? The Case of German Universal Jurisdiction and the Syrian Government

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 394-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Rankin
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Criminal Court ◽  
Universal Jurisdiction ◽  
International Criminal Law ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Public Prosecutor ◽  
Senior Member ◽  
International Crimes ◽  
Willingness To Use

Arguably, more than any other state or interstate actor, German federal authorities, including the German Federal Public Prosecutor General (Generalbundesanwalt, gba) and German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), have been at the forefront of issuing arrest warrants for senior members of the Syrian government suspected of atrocity crimes in the wake of the Arab Spring. This includes German federal authorities making the first arrest of a senior member of the Syrian government in February 2019 for crimes against humanity. This article argues that in relation to core international crimes, Germany’s concept of law reflects one based on a ‘standard’ and international rule of law. Moreover, German federal authorities have demonstrated a willingness to use international humanitarian and criminal law (ichl) in relation to those most responsible for core international crimes. In this way, Germany’s current investigations into alleged crimes against humanity in Syria since 2011 provides for an illuminating case for extending universal jurisdiction, as well as the ‘responsibility to prosecute’ as a legal obligation. It also indicates how a multiplicity of actors – including state and non-state actors – can extend the reach of international criminal law, when the International Criminal Court (icc) cannot act.

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