War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity In The Rome Statute Of The International Criminal Court

The Elements of War Crimes will assist the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the interpretation and application of the articles of the ICC Statute defining the crimes under its jurisdiction. These will not only be necessary for the future work of the ICC in interpreting the crimes provisions, but also for national courts, which have primary responsibility in the prosecution of international crimes under the Rome Statute. This commentary provides a critical insight into the travaux préparatoires of the Preparatory Commission leading to the adoption of the elements of war crimes. It contains an analysis of existing case law related to each war crime in the Statute. It will provide States, judges, prosecutors and international and national lawyers with key background information to implement international humanitarian law in future cases dealing with war crimes under the ICC. A unique, indispensable tool for prosecuting and defense lawyers working in international criminal law.

This text provides a critical analysis of the definitions of war crimes and crimes against humanity as construed in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It offers a useful resource for postgraduate students and academics as each war crime is discussed systematically.

3.1 The Tokyo Charter

The book provides a holistic examination of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The main focus is placed on the three pillars which form the ICC’s foundation pursuant to the Rome Statute: the preconditions to the exercise of its jurisdiction (Article 12 Rome Statute) the substantive competence, i.e. the core crimes (Article 5-8bis Rome Statute, i.e. genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, crime of aggression) the principle of complementarity (Article 17§1 (a) Rome Statute) The latter governs the ICC's ‘ultimate jurisdiction’, since it is not merely sufficient for a crime to be within the Court's jurisdiction (according to the substantive, geographical, personal and temporal jurisdictional criteria), but the State Party must also be unwilling or unable genuinely to carry out the investigation or prosecution. Finally yet importantly, the main ‘negative preconditions’ for the Court’s jurisdiction, i.e. immunities (Article 27 Rome Statute) and exceptions via Security Council referrals are thoroughly examined.The book is an excellent resource for scholars as well as practitioners and notably contributes to the existing literature.

This book focuses on the Statute of the International Criminal Court, gathering contributions by leading scholars and diplomats. It examines the main features of the Statute, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, the role of the ICC in the international protection of human rights and the impact of the ICC Statute on the international criminal justice system. It also offers an evaluation of the prospect for the functioning of the ICC in the future.

Law, Roy S. Lee.