|
|
Human rights in international criminal proceedings
Bureš, Pavel
Právnická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy v Praze Katedra mezinárodního práva Mgr. Pavel Bureš Human Rights in International Criminal Procedure Praha 2011 2 Abstract The rapid development of International Criminal Law in the second half of 20th century and especially on its end is marked by a proliferation of international criminal judicial organs and thereby by a huge increase and development of procedural norms determining these organs' jurisdiction and functioning but also specifying procedural status of individuals - suspected and accused persons, victims. The submitted thesis focuses on one of the aspects of individuals procedural status, namely their procedural guarantees - human rights in international criminal procedure. The analyse of human rights in international criminal procedure (the proceedings before International Criminal Court) was done having been backed by statutory regulations of international military tribunals and ad hoc tribunal for Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and their case-law. The hypothetical start point was to consider that procedural guarantees in the ICC procedure established by Rome Statute in 1998 are on a highest level and more detailed than these guarantees enshrined in ad hoc tribunals Statutes and even in international universal or regional human rights protecting...
|
|
|
Subject Matter Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court
Bureš, Jan
in English The theme of this dissertation is the subject matter jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Offences such as aggression, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, sometimes called the "core crimes", are the most serious crimes ever indentified under international law. These crimes do not violate only some particular rights, but they threaten the whole international community, peace, security and well-being of the world. Therefore it is essential to have a precise legal definition of these grave crimes and to establish an effective judicial mechanism for prosecution of the most dangerous criminals. However, it is not easy to find general consent on these matters among the international community. There is not much space for internationalisation in the field of criminal law, which was traditionally considered an important part of national sovereignty. Thus the path towards establishment of the ICC, which is the first permanent international criminal judicial body ever, was extremely difficult, as was definition of the four core crimes falling within its jurisdiction. This thesis scrutinises the concrete provisions of the ICC Statute, the "Rome Statute", which constitute substantive law by defining the crime of genocide (art. 6), crimes against humanity (art. 7), war...
|
|
|
he Rome statute's crime of aggression following the Kampala review conference
Lipovský, Milan
Title of the dissertation: The Rome Statute's Crime of Aggression following the Kampala Review Conference The definition of crime of aggression was adopted in 2010 to fill the gap in article 5 (2) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court ("ICC"). Complicated discussions preceding the adoption have identified many problematic aspects within the definition, including the relationship between the ICC and the UN Security Council ("SC") - whether the SC would be the only body capable to commence proceedings for the crime of aggression or not; further including the legal status of humanitarian intervention for the purposes of its criminalization under the Rome Statute; position of a perpetrator of the crime - should only leaders be considered perpetrators or should "lower" state officials be included; how should the amendment enter into force - under article 121 (4) or 121 (5) of the Rome Statute; etc. Many of these questions have not been answered by the adopted definition in a satisfactory way and so while the international community was celebrating the success of the adoption of the "supreme crime's" definition, many (including the author of this dissertation) have been seriously disappointed by the short-comings of the adopted text. Scholars continue to better understand the...
|
|
|
The Crime of Aggression under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
Hedl, Jakub ; Lipovský, Milan (advisor) ; Ondřej, Jan (referee)
1 The Crime of Aggression under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Abstract This diploma thesis deals with the Crime of Aggression, one of the four crimes under international law prosecuted by the International Criminal Court. The definition of this crime was adopted at the Kampala Review Conference in 2010 and the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court was activated in 2018. This is a significant milestone in the development of international criminal law, as it means a possibility of prosecuting state "leaders" for acts of aggression against other states for the first time since the end of the Second World War. The goal of this thesis is to provide a brief summary of the historical development of the Crime of Aggression, to analyse and to evaluate the newly adopted definition. The jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over the Crime of Aggression of the will be also assessed. Last but not least, the paper elaborates on whether the Crime of Aggression has become a custom in international customary law. The first chapter deals with the position of the Crime of Aggression in relation to other crimes under international law and the issue of terms and scheme of international criminal law. Chapter two describes the complex historical development of the Crime of Aggression....
|
|
|
Principle of complementarity in the Rome Statute
Urbanová, Kristýna ; Šturma, Pavel (advisor) ; Ondřej, Jan (referee) ; Caban, Pavel (referee)
Principle of complementarity in the Rome Statute The thesis provides a reader with analysis of non/operation of principle of complementarity in practice of the International Criminal Court. The principle of complementarity concerns rules governing a relationship between national courts and the ICC in the context of exercise of jurisdiction over the crimes under international law covered by the Rome Statute. From the beginning, the principle of complementarity has been considered as a cornerstone of the Rome Statute and has been often contrasted with principle of primacy enjoyed by the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia and International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. During the adoption of the Rome Statute, both the states and researches expected that thanks to complementarity the ICC would act only as a court of a last resort and would exercise its jurisdiction only if states endowed with jurisdiction would be unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute those responsible for international crimes in jurisdiction of the ICC. The amount of emphasis put on unwillingness or inability of states to investigate and prosecute should have guaranteed a balance between a protection of state sovereignty and effective and credible operation of the International Criminal Court. The...
|
|
|
Crime of Aggression under the Rome Statute of ICC
Slavník, Lukáš ; Lipovský, Milan (advisor) ; Šturma, Pavel (referee)
Crime of Aggression under the Rome Statute of ICC Abstract The jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over the Crime of Aggression, which has been defined at the Review Conference in Kampala, 2010, will be activated on 17th of July 2018. This paper is summarizing more than seventy years of continuing development of a definition of the Crime of Aggression which has started after the Second World War during so-called Nurnberg Trials (a forerunner of the Crime of Aggression - Crimes Against Peace have been tried during these trials) and which will be, at least for now, completed upon the activation of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and upon a completion of the Rome Statute. This paper deals not only with the history of the Crime of Aggression but also with its position as a crime under the international law with a connection to other crimes which can be prosecuted before the International Criminal Court. Furthermore, it analyses the main elements of the crime with a focus on difficulties which can potentially come up once they are used in practice. A special part of this paper is focused on jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over the Crime of Aggression, which has not quite met expectations from international society, as it seems that in case of state referral or...
|
|
|
The role of the UN Security Council in front of the ICC
Mihai, Vlad ; Lipovský, Milan (advisor) ; Pulgret, Miroslav (referee)
The relationship betweeen the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Security Council holds important value because, as a people, we are striving for a change towards a universal justice system, rather than a nationalistic conflictual one. To assess the progress, a closer look is necessary at the issue at hand. If the ICC does not have a nation to support it, in order to serve as a deterrent, it does need a powerful organization behind it: the UNSC, or the interplay between the SC, ICC and the "executive body" of the international community. However, their relationship is convoluted in controversy, since it is believed to serve as a tool for the major powers when they see fit, thus deligitimizing its credibility as an overarching judicial organization meant to resolve inter-state conflicts, and punish those who commit the most heinous crimes, regardless of their nationality. The findings of this research will show that more factors weigh in, and, even though the UNSC does hold a tight grip and has the power to influence the proceedings before the ICC, there is a clear positive trajectory for the International Criminal Justice System; the author of the research believes it will only get better. Keywords International Criminal Court; UNSC; Rome Statute; International Criminal Law Range...
|
|
|
Crimes under international law in the Rome Statute of the ICC and their prosecution
Huječek, Roman ; Lipovský, Milan (advisor) ; Faix, Martin (referee)
Crimes under International Law in the Rome Statute of the ICC and Their Prosecution Abstract This diploma thesis deals with crimes under international law in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and their prosecution, with a special focus on the issues of applicability of senior state officials' international immunity when it comes down to the proceedings before this court. The first part of the thesis outlines the meaning of the term crimes under international law and explains the difference between this term and the terms international crimes and transnational crimes. Next, the prosecution of these crimes under international law is set within its historical context with a special focus on the period after the start of World War I. The second part discusses the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction and, mainly, each individual crime under international law and its definition in the Rome Statute. The second part ends with a chapter concerning mental elements of these crimes and particularly the institute of command responsibility. The third part describes the procedural provisions of the Rome Statute and it guides the reader all the way from the initiation of the proceedings to the enforcement of the court's decision. The third section also offers several practical examples regarding...
|
|
|
Victims of the gravest crimes: The role of victims in legal proceedings before the International Criminal Court
Mocková, Eliška ; Lipovský, Milan (advisor) ; Honusková, Věra (referee)
1 Victims of the Gravest Crimes: The Role of Victims in Legal Proceedings Before the International Criminal Court Abstract This thesis analyzes the role of victims in the proceedings before the International Criminal Court, or the so-called victims' mandate of the ICC. The purpose is to comprehensively introduce their rights as well as the way in which this regulation is being applied. Therefore, the research question has two parts. The first part inquires into the current design of the victim's rights before the Court, while the second asks about the results of its application to the present day. Answers offered by the author of the thesis appear respectively in the second and the third chapter. The first chapter is focused on a historical development of the position of victims in the system of international criminal justice. It is of introductory nature and serves to highlight the historically unprecedented character of the role of victims before the ICC. Regarding the research method, the thesis analyzes the role of victims of crimes prosecuted by the ICC from both, theoretical as well as empirical angle. The purpose is to practically and comprehensively describe the regulation of victims before the ICC but also go beyond the "letter of the law" to see the legal regulation within its material context -...
|
|
|
The Still evolving Principle of Universal Jurisdiction
Baumruk, Petra ; Šturma, Pavel (advisor) ; Bílková, Veronika (referee) ; Válek, Petr (referee)
The present study describes the nature, scope and application of universal jurisdiction as an important tool against impunity in international criminal law, in a straight forward manner, where inquiry into the recent developments of universal jurisdiction is undertaken. Forthwith, the formation of the principle of universal jurisdiction - especially its practical application - must be guided by international consensus, not through advocacy action of states with short term and narrow objectives. The thesis seeks to identify and observe how far the law of universal jurisdiction has actually evolved and how far we should expect it to evolve in the near future, considering its restrains and challenges. It is argued that the concept of state sovereignty, which constitutes the greatest impediment on the exercise of universal jurisdiction, has seen various changes to its fundamentals elements in the 21st Century. The aim is to look at the universality principle, not as an isolated part, but as part of a broader framework in modern international law and thus special attention is given to the relationship between universal jurisdiction and the principle of aut dedere aut judicare. These principles are interrelated, yet distinct, parallels in deterring commission of the most heinous offences of international...
|
guest ::
