Complementarity In The Line Of Fire

"This book follows as LAW"--

Examines the impact of the Rome Statute's complementarity principle on two states in which the International Criminal Court has intervened.

Examines the impact of the Rome Statute's complementarity principle on two states in which the International Criminal Court has intervened.

Academic Paper from the year 2017 in the subject Law - Comparative Legal Systems, Comparative Law, grade: 1.0, University of Pretoria, language: English, abstract: This study seeks to establish how the legal and institutional framework for positive complementarity may be effectively implemented. It is argued that the existing legal and institutional framework in respect of the effective combatting of impunity is largely unsatisfactory. The evolution of the principle of complementarity, in the context of the Rome Statute, is explored with emphasis on the theoretical constraints on the principle which, in turn, raise practical challenges. The analysis provides a theoretical background to the conceptualisation of positive complementarity. The study traces the evolution and development of the concept of positive complementarity, examining its characteristic features and attributes, and the possibilities and opportunities the concept presents for the effective combatting of impunity. It examines the various scholarly arguments and propositions advanced to explain the concept of positive complementarity, and analyses the attendant challenges and limitations. It is noted that there is no fixed and universally acceptable definition of positive complementarity. It is therefore argued that there is a need for the establishment of a coherent legal and institutional framework for positive complementarity. In this light, appropriate policy alternatives and considerations both domestically and internationally, are considered. On the international level limitations characterising the current institutional framework of the Secretariat of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP Secretariat) are identified. It is argued that a fundamental restructuring of the ASP Secretariat is essential and measures to restructure the ASP Secretariat in order to reinforce its effectiveness in fulfilling its mandate on positive complementarity are identified. At the domestic level, the various aspects of implementing legislation are discussed. In conclusion, the establishment of an independent office to address positive complementarity and revitalise the institutional framework within the legal structures of the ASP Secretariat, is examined. The study envisages that the proposed institutional framework for the ASP Secretariat, if implemented, would effectively support the national jurisdictions of state parties in their implementation of the concept of positive complementarity. This study represents an unequivocally original contribution to knowledge and research.

International courts and tribunals are often asked to review decisions originally made by domestic decision-makers. This can often be a source of tension, as the international courts and tribunals need to judge how far to defer to the original decisions of the national bodies. As international courts and tribunals have proliferated, different courts have applied differing levels of deference to those originial decisions, which can lead to a fragmentation in international law. International courts in such positions rely on two key doctrines: the standard of review and the margin of appreciation. The standard of review establishes the extent to which national decisions relating to factual, legal, or political issues arising in the case are re-examined in the international court. The margin of appreciation is the extent to which national legislative, executive, and judicial decision-makers are allowed to reflect diversity in their interpretation of human rights obligations. The book begins by providing an overview of the margin of appreciation and standard of review, recognising that while the margin of appreciation explicitly acknowledges the existence of such deference, the standard of review does not: it is rather a procedural mechanism. It looks in-depth at how the public policy exception has been assessed by the European Court of Justice and the WTO dispute settlement bodies. It examines how the European Court of Human Rights has taken an evidence-based approach towards the margin of appreciation, as well as how it has addressed issues of hate speech. The Inter-American system is also investigated, and it is established how far deference is possible within that legal organisation. Finally, the book studies how a range of other international courts, such as the International Criminal Court, and the Law of the Sea Tribunal, have approached these two core doctrines.

International Criminal Law in Context provides a critical and contextual introduction to the fundamentals of international criminal law. It goes beyond a doctrinal analysis focused on the practice of international tribunals to draw on a variety of perspectives, capturing the complex processes of internationalisation that criminal law has experienced over the past few decades. The book considers international criminal law in context and seeks to account for the political and cultural factors that have influenced – and that continue to influence – this still-emerging body of law. Considering the substance, procedures, objectives, justifications and impacts of international criminal law, it addresses such topics as: • the history of international criminal law; • the subjects of international criminal law; • transitional justice and international criminal justice; • genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression; • sexual and gender-based crimes; • international and hybrid criminal tribunals; • sentencing under international criminal law; and • the role of victims in international criminal procedure. The book will appeal to those who want to study international criminal law in a critical and contextualised way. Presenting original research, it will also be of interest to scholars and practitioners already familiar with the main legal and policy issues relating to this body of law.

"This book is a case study of my nine-year practice as the first Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It presents the functioning of the autonomous criminal justice system created by the Rome Statute. The book depicts the Rome Statute operations, its interaction with the War on Terror, and their relationship with national legal systems and the UN Security Council. It comments on regional organizations, including the mechanisms to protect human rights established during the fifties in Europe, after in the Americas, and more recently in Africa"--

Document from the year 2019 in the subject Law - European and International Law, Intellectual Properties, Tufts University, language: English, abstract: The focus of this book is the analysis of male sexual crimes in international criminal justice. The first part of the present research work is focused on the legal analysis of the relevant articles of international criminal court's Statute regarding the obligation of cooperation between states for the punishment of serious crimes against humanity and war. Judicial development, starting with the ad hoc tribunals and arriving at causes at various stages of proceedings still ongoing in the International Criminal Court (ICC), opens doctrinal and comparative national debates especially in the case of lacking states cooperation, seeking to elaborate specific topics such as the obligation of states cooperation, requests for assistance during preliminary investigations,during inquires, and confidential information. Court assistance to states parties participating in the Statute, suspending the execution of a request, the role of the prosecutor and the non-assistance of some states impede the development and operation of international criminal justice. The second part has attempted to analyze sexual crimes and especially the crime of male rape.The jurisprudence of international criminal tribunals and the ICC have tried to qualify rapeeither as a crime of genocide in the form of serious and physical injuries, even if notnecessarily permanent (lett.b) Art.6 of the Rome Statute; or as a crime against humanity wherethere are elements of context and above all material elements that emerge from the defenitionsgiven by the ad hoc tribunals and the elements of crimes; or even as a war crime in case it isimplemented to that of sexual violence, according to a geneder specific relationship tospeciem. Judges through the jurisprudence have included in this context any conduct of asexual type of aggression to human dignity that does not consist in an act of penetration andthat does not involve physical contract. The contrasts are always open. Due to the lack ofdealing with a "particular" crime and difficult to prove it or testify before an internationalcourt. The indication on the level of gravity of the crime is necessary for the relevance ofsexual violence and rape as crimes against humanity that we will see in the coming years.