Victims of International Crimes: An Interdisciplinary Discourse


Book Description

In international law victims' issues have gained more and more attention over the last decades. In particular in transitional justice processes the victim is being given high priority. It is to be seen in this context that the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court foresees a rather excessive victim participation concept in criminal prosecution. In this volume issue is taken at first with the definition of victims, and secondly with the role of the victim as a witness and as a participant. Several chapters address this matter with a view to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) and the Trial against Demjanjuk in Germany. In a third part the interests of the victims outside the criminal trial are being discussed. In the final part the role of civil society actors are being tackled. This volume thus gives an overview of the role of victims in transitional justice processes from an interdisciplinary angle, combining academic research and practical experience.




Prosecuting International Crimes: A Multidisciplinary Approach


Book Description

The volume edited by Bartłomiej Krzan offers different perspectives on the prosecution of international crimes. The analyses contained therein reflect different backgrounds, mainly legal, combining several disciplines, and making it a multidisciplinary study. The main (but definitely not the exclusive) point of reference is that of international law. In addition, other perspectives, those of legal history or sociology of law and obviously the one of criminal law (both substantive and procedural) provide useful alternatives or in most occasions complementary approaches to the examination of the prosecution of international crimes. The book combines different views, backgrounds and underlying assumptions. But gathered together they, it is to be hoped, shed some additional, useful light that might be helpful for identifying new dimensions of the reaction (judicial or other) towards international crimes. Contributors: Władysław Czapliński, Patrycja Grzebyk, Witold Jakimko, Wojciech Jasiński, David Kohout, Karolina Kremens, Bartłomiej Krzan, Krzysztof Masło, Neringa Mickevičiūtė, Robert Uerpmann-Wittzack, Regina Valutyté, Karolina Wierczyńska, Joachim Wolf, Loammi Wolf, and Justinas Žilinskas.




International Crimes and Other Gross Human Rights Violations


Book Description

International crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes as well as other gross human rights violations are manifestations of collective violence which endanger international peace and security. and warrant our full attention. It however takes a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to understand the true nature and causes of this type of criminality. The aim of this book is to take such an approach and to provide university students, scholars, professionals and practitioners within the field with the knowledge they need. The legal background and particularities of international crimes; the social context in which these crimes are committed as well as the perpetrators and bystanders thereof are studied. Within the book many case studies are presented as illustrations.




A Critical Introduction to International Criminal Law


Book Description

Presents theories, practices and critiques alongside each other to engage students, scholars and professionals from multiple fields. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.




The Oxford Handbook of International Criminal Law


Book Description

In the past twenty years, international criminal law has become one of the main areas of international legal scholarship and practice. Most textbooks in the field describe the evolution of international criminal tribunals, the elements of the core international crimes, the applicable modes of liability and defences, and the role of states in prosecuting international crimes. The Oxford Handbook of International Criminal Law, however, takes a theoretically informed and refreshingly critical look at the most controversial issues in international criminal law, challenging prevailing practices, orthodoxies, and received wisdoms. Some of the contributions to the Handbook come from scholars within the field, but many come from outside of international criminal law, or indeed from outside law itself. The chapters are grounded in history, geography, philosophy, and international relations. The result is a Handbook that expands the discipline and should fundamentally alter how international criminal law is understood.







Mens Rea at the International Criminal Court


Book Description

This Volume offers an overview of all aspects of mens rea that may surface before the International Criminal Court (ICC). The book commences with an introduction of the concept of mens rea and controversies concerning this concept before national courts and ad hoc tribunals. This is followed by an examination of the definitional elements of mens rea at the ad hoc tribunals. The mens rea requirements for the specific liability modes applied at the ad hoc tribunals will be examined. Subsequently, definitional aspects of mens rea at the ICC will be discussed, and in particular the mens rea requirements for the specific liability modes as provided for in the Rome Statute. Separate chapters will address the mens rea requirements for the crimes listed in the Rome Statute: war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression, respectively. An analysis of customary international law or the standards promulgated by the ad hoc tribunals will be used as examples where the ICC case law is scarce. A specific chapter will be devoted to mens rea requirements for political speeches. In some cases, certain speeches have been said to be catalysts of international crimes. Therefore, it is relevant to examine how the accused’s intent was construed. The book will conclude with mens rea defenses in international criminal law, which will be specifically applied to the defenses listed in the Rome Statute.




The International Criminal Responsibility of War's Funders and Profiteers


Book Description

This book is concerned with the commercial exploitation of armed conflict; it is about money, war, atrocities and economic actors, about the connections between them, and about responsibility. It aims to clarify the legal framework that defines these connections and gives rise to criminal or, in some instances, civil responsibility, referring both to mechanisms for international criminal justice, such as the International Criminal Court, and domestic systems. It considers which economic actors among individuals, businesses, governments and States should be held accountable and before which forum. Additionally, it addresses the question of how to recover illegally acquired profits and redirect them to benefit the victims of war. The chapters shine a critical light on the options provided by a network of laws to ensure that the 'great industrialists' of our time, who find economic opportunities in the war-ravaged lives of others, are unable to pursue those opportunities with impunity.




International Criminal Justice


Book Description

ÔInternational criminal justice indeed is a crowded field. But this edited collection stands well above the crowd. And it does so with dignity. Through interdisciplinary analysis, the editors skillfully turn shibboleths into intrigues. Theirs is a kaleidoscopic project that scales a gamut of issues: from courtroom discipline, to gender, to the defense, to history. Through vivid deployment of unconventional methods, this edited collection unsettles conventional wisdom. It thereby pushes law and policy toward heartier horizons.Õ Ð Mark A. Drumbl, Washington and Lee University, School of Law, US International criminal justice as a discipline throws up numerous conceptual issues, engaging disciplines such as law, politics, history, sociology and psychology, to name but a few. This book addresses themes around international criminal justice from a mixture of traditional and more radical perspectives. While law, and in particular international law, is at the heart of much of the discussion around this topic, history, sociology and politics are invariably infused and, in some aspects of international criminal justice, are predominant elements. Fundamentally the exploration concerns questions of coherence and legitimacy, which are foundational to both the content and application of the discipline, and the book charts an illuminating path through these diverse perspectives. The contributions in this book come from some of the eminent scholars and practitioners in the area, and will provide some profound insight into and an enriched understanding of international criminal justice, helping to advance the field of study. This ambitious and necessary book will appeal to academics and students of international criminal law, international criminal justice, international law, transitional justice and comparative criminal law, as well as practitioners of international criminal law.




The Fundamental Concept of Crime in International Criminal Law


Book Description

This book examines the rapid development of the fundamental concept of a crime in international criminal law from a comparative law perspective. In this context, particular thought has been given to the catalyzing impact of the criminal law theory that has developed in major world legal systems upon the crystallization of the substantive part of international criminal law. This study offers a critical overview of international and domestic jurisprudence with regard to the construal of the concept of a crime (actus reus, mens rea, defences, modes of liability) and exposes roots of confusion in international criminal law through a comprehensive comparative analysis of substantive criminal laws in selected legal jurisdictions.