International Humanitarian Law Commons^™

The Rodrigo Duterte Case At The International Criminal Court: Towards The Erosion Of States’ Right To Withdraw From The Rome Statute?, Giovanni Chiarini Dr

Indonesia Law Review

The Rodrigo Duterte case raises complex questions concerning the interpretation of Article 127 of the Rome Statute (RS), particularly regarding its statutory limits relating to the one-year window governing the effects of withdrawal, as well as the interpretation of the procedural identity of the preliminary examination. This paper is divided into two parts: the first briefly outlines the procedural history of the war on drugs case from 2016 to 2024; the second analyses the dissenting opinion concerning the interpretation of Article 127 RS and explores the key developments from 2025 to 2026, focusing on the main issues raised by the …

La Qualification Du Génocide À Gaza : Portée Juridique Et Enjeux Internationaux, Farah Safi

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

Genocide embodies the ultimate transgression of international law and exposes the limits of its effectiveness. Based on the 1948 Convention, its legal framework rests on two constitutive elements, – material and mental – whose interaction determines the recognition of the crime. Recent jurisprudence and contemporary cases in Gaza highlight the tension between legal clarity and political failure. Beyond punishment, prevention and the duty to ensure respect for international humanitarian law emerge as the core challenges of a system in crisis, where the survival of law now depends on its capacity to restrain power. This confrontation raises a fundamental question about …

Enforcing International Humanitarian Law Through The Business Responsibility To Respect Human Rights, Tara Van Ho

Faculty Articles

Insulation produced by the Danish company Rockwool—or its Russian subsidiary—lines thirty-one Russian Navy warships. Though not a weapon, this material is essential to the vessels’ operation. Did Rockwool have a responsibility under international law to stop the transfer of the insulation to the Russian Navy before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine? This article examines the business responsibilities under the 2011 United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (“UNGPs”). In doing so, the article finds that the business responsibility to respect human rights in the UNGPs provides a strong mechanism for enforcing international humanitarian law (“IHL”). However, it requires …

The Jurisdiction Of The International Criminal Court Over The Killing Of The Reporter Of Al-Jazeera Shereen Abu Aqleh, Rezeq Salmoodi, Mahmoud Al-Qarem, Ibrahim Khalid Yahya

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

This research dealt with the issue of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over the murder of the journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh in Jenin on Wednesday morning, May 11, 2022. In this regard, the research addressed the various and possible scenarios in the issue of criminal jurisdiction in both its formal and objective aspects in terms of overlap, parallelism and separation between national and international criminal jurisdiction as well as the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction on the case in question. All of this was derived from the research problem represented by the conflict of criminal jurisdiction in the case …

Forced Adoptions Of Ukrainian Children From An International Human Rights And Humanitarian Law Perspective, Ines Gillich

Pace International Law Review

The article analyzes the legality of the Russian practice of forced adoptions of Ukrainian children from an international human rights and humanitarian law perspective. It argues that while the relocation of children from conflict zones to safe areas is generally lawful under international law, these measures must only be temporary, and persons abducted must be returned as soon as possible. This article also argues that human rights obligations must be read in the light of international humanitarian law, which is the lex specialis applicable in armed conflicts. The article concludes that any permanent measures against the will of the children …

Law Versus Justice In International Atrocity Prosecutions, Mark A. Drumbl

Scholarly Articles

Attribution of individual criminal responsibility in the context of extraordinary international crimes that, pace Hannah Arendt (1963), explode the limits of law and bust the global trust, indeed, remains fraught and taut. Hence, attention to legally cognizable linkages between the free will of the accused person and the connived malignant context matters greatly. These linkages adopt various monikers, including nexus and modes of liability. Insofar as international criminal trials self-identify as imposing international criminal law—as opposed to show trials that heave theatrics upon a stage—some respect toward due process is required in order to maintain credibility. While international criminal law …

To The Court Of Last Resort: A Prosecutorial Roadmap In The Aftermath Of State Violence In Chile And Colombia, David F. Scollan

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

A great deal of academic research and writing has been done on the most glaring examples of war crimes and crimes against humanity. But, only a small cadre of authors have endeavored to identify the ‘lower limit’ of when state action qualifies as these heinous acts. This Note strives to add to that area of legal scholarship aimed at bringing instances of in-country state perpetrated violence out from the behind the veil of sovereign police action and into the spotlight to call them what they are: crimes worthy of international condemnation and punishment. Specifically, this Note unpacks two spasms of …

Phr & Clihhr Submission To Icc Otp (May 2023), Physicians For Human Rights (Phr), Cardozo Law Institute In Holocaust And Human Rights (Clihhr)

CLIHHR Reports & Policy Submissions

This report was submitted by the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) in May 2023 to the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It provides legal and strategic recommendations on investigating and prosecuting crimes of sexual and gender-based violence, with an emphasis on survivor-centered approaches and international legal standards. The submission highlights the importance of addressing such crimes within the framework of international justice.

Reparations, Or Hush Money?, Christina Glekas

Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity

No abstract provided.

Justice For Venezuela: The Human Rights Violations That Are Isolating An Entire Country, Andrea Matos

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Justice Delayed, Justice Denied? The Search For Accountability For Alleged Wartime Atrocities Committed In Sri Lanka, Aloka Wanigasuriya

Pace International Law Review

During the final stages of its nearly three-decades-long civil war in 2009, Sri Lanka attracted considerable international attention due to the allegations of international crimes that were said to have been committed both by the Sri Lankan government Armed Forces, the Guerilla Force, and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). According to United Nations (UN) experts, an estimated 40,000 civilians were killed during the final offensive, which lasted from January to May 2009. However, the Sri Lankan government has set this figure at 9,000 with no civilian casualties. Several UN bodies found credible allegations that international crimes were committed …

Justice Without Fear Or Favour? The Uncertain Future Of The International Criminal Court, Leila Nadya Sadat

Scholarship@WashULaw

This essay traces the history of the International Criminal Court from its establishment in 1998 until the current day. It briefly surveys the history of the Court’s founding and evokes many of its current challenges and innovative aspects of its jurisprudence, particularly regarding jurisdiction, immunities, and admissibility, including decisions relating to the Situations in Afghanistan, Bangladesh/Myanmar, Libya, Palestine, and Sudan. As the essay notes, although many challenges have emerged from internal difficulties the Court has faced or design elements of the Statute, external challenges arising from the geopolitical environment within which it operates exist as well. Despite these problems, which …

U.S. War Crimes And Accountability With The International Criminal Court: A Critique, Johanna M. Leffler

Senior Honors Projects

JOHANNA LEFFLER (International Studies, French)

U.S. War Crimes and Accountability with the International Criminal Court: A Critique

Sponsor: Kristin Johnson (Political Science)

Throughout my undergraduate career I have studied a variety of subjects within international affairs. The fall of my 2019-2020 year while studying abroad at The Institute for Political Studies of Rennes, France, was where I studied a particularly thought-provoking subject, Mondialisation et Droit de l’Homme (Globalization and Human Rights). We studied the evolution of international law, the justice institutions which uphold it, and how modern globalization impacts human rights. The subject matter and discussion with my international classmates …

Increasing Case Traffic: Expanding The International Criminal Court's Focus On Human Trafficking Cases, Nadia Alhadi

Michigan Journal of International Law

Human trafficking falls within the jurisdictional competence of the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) as one of the article 7 crimes against humanity, whether committed in an atmosphere of conflict or in times of relative peace. Despite the ICC’s jurisdiction, as well as the globally pervasive nature of peacetime trafficking in particular, the ICC has not yet heard a human trafficking case.

Accountability at the international level, however, is crucial, and the ICC’s oversight has the potential to fill gaps in the current anti-trafficking regime. This note explores this potential, and then examines whether the text of the Rome Statute or …

Can The International Criminal Court Succeed? An Analysis Of The Empirical Evidence Of Violence Prevention, Stuart Ford

Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review

Despite significant optimism about the future of the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) during its early years, recently there has been growing criticism of it by both scholars and governments. As a result, there appears to be more doubt about the ICC’s ability to succeed now than at any other point in its history. So, are the critics correct? Is the ICC failing? No. This Article argues that, not only can the ICC succeed, there is strong evidence that it is already succeeding. It analyzes several recent empirical articles that have convincingly demonstrated that the ICC prevents serious violations of international …

The Policy On Children Of The Icc Office Of The Prosecutor: Toward Greater Accountability For Crimes Against And Affecting Children, Diane Marie Amann

Scholarly Works

The Policy on Children published by the International Criminal Court Office of the Prosecutor in 2016 represents a significant step toward accountability for harms to children in armed conflict and similar extreme violence. This article describes the process that led to the Policy and outlines the Policy’s contents. It then surveys relevant ICC practice and related developments, concluding that despite some salutary efforts, much remains to be done to recognize, prevent and punish the spectrum of conflicted-related crimes against or affecting children.

The Bemba Appeals Chamber Judgment: Impunity For Sexual And Gender-Based Crimes?, Susana Sacouto, Patricia Viseur Sellers

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

On June 8, 2018, a majority of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) reversed the conviction of former military commander Jean-Pierre Bemba for the crimes against humanity of rape and murder and the war crimes of rape, murder, and pillaging committed by his troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) between October 2002, and March 2003. The decision was clearly a disappointment for the victims of the crimes committed by Bemba’s troops, who have been waiting for more than fifteen years for a measure of justice. Significantly, the acquittal also means that sixteen years after the Rome …

The Failure Of International Law In Palestine, Svetlana Sumina, Steven Gilmore

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming

Pluralism In International Criminal Procedure, Jenia I. Turner

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Over the last two decades, international criminal procedure has become a recognized body of law, with textbooks, treatises, and law review articles discussing its rules and principles and theorizing its goals and methods. The term refers to the procedures used at the international criminal courts and tribunals created to address some of the most serious offenses, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Some of these courts are fully international, like the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), and the permanent International Criminal Court (ICC). Others are “hybrid courts,” …

Rape And Sexual Violence Used As A Weapon Of War And Genocide, Larissa Peltola

CMC Senior Theses

Rape and other forms of sexual violence have been used against civilian populations since the advent of armed conflict. However, recent scholarship within the last few decades proves that rape is not a byproduct of war or a result of transgressions by a few “bad apples,” rather, rape and sexual violence are used as strategic, systematic, and calculated tools of war, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. Rape has also been used as a means of preventing future generations of children of “undesirable” groups from being born. Rape and sexual violence are also used with the purpose of intimidating women and their …

Contorting Common Article 3, Michael A. Newton

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

This short Essay describes the circularity of support between the ICRC and the Pre-Trial Chambers of the ICC. Its successive sections describe the problematic potential of extending the substantive coverage of Common Article 3 to encompass members of the same armed group who commit criminal acts against one another.' In particular, the Revised Commentary fails to address the due process ramifications of an enlarged Common Article 3, even as the development of the text documented by the readily available negotiating record warrants an alternative understanding. Lastly, the ICRC position could indicate a radical shift in the very design of the …

Plea Bargaining And International Criminal Justice, Jenia I. Turner

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Over the last two decades, plea bargaining has spread beyond the countries where it originated — the United States and other common law jurisdictions — and has become a global phenomenon. Plea bargaining is spreading rapidly to civil law countries that previously viewed the practice with skepticism. And it has now arrived at international criminal courts.

While domestic plea bargaining is often limited to non-violent crimes, the international courts allow sentence negotiations for even the most heinous offenses, including genocide and crimes against humanity. Its use remains highly controversial, and debates about plea bargaining in international courts continue in court …

What If The International Criminal Court Could Prosecute President Al-Assad For The Chemical Weapon Attacks In Ghouta?, Paul Cho

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract forthcoming.

Expert Workshop Session: The Global Child, Haley Chafin, Jena Emory, Meredith Head, Elizabeth Verner

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Expert Workshop Session: Child Witnesses: Testimony, Evidence, And Witness Protection, Chelsea Swanson, Elizabeth Devos, Chloe Ricke, Andy Shin

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Expert Workshop Session: Regulatory Framework, Ashley Ferrelli, Eric Heath, Eulen Jang, Cory Takeuchi

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Rape And Sexual Violence: Questionable Inevitability And Moral Responsibility In Armed Conflict, Katherine W. Bogen

Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal at Clark (SURJ)

Wartime sexual violence is a critical human rights issue that usurps the autonomy of its victims as well as their physical and psychological safety. It occurs in both ethnic and non-ethnic wars, across geographic regions, against both men and women, and regardless of the “official” position of commanders, states, and armed groups on the use of rape as tactic of war. This problem is current, pervasive, and global in spite of the status of wartime sexual violence perpetration as a crime against humanity and the capacity of the international criminal court to indict offenders. Though some scholars have argued that …

Children, Diane Marie Amann

Scholarly Works

This chapter, which appears in The Cambridge Companion to International Criminal Law (William A. Schabas ed. 2016), discusses how international criminal law instruments and institutions address crimes against and affecting children. It contrasts the absence of express attention in the post-World War II era with the multiple provisions pertaining to children in the 1998 Statute of the International Criminal Court. The chapter examines key judgments in that court and in the Special Court for Sierra Leone, as well as the ICC’s current, comprehensive approach to the effects that crimes within its jurisdiction have on children. The chapter concludes with a …

The Victims' Court? A Study Of 622 Victim Participants At The International Criminal Court, Stephen Cody, Eric Stover, Mychelle Balthazard, Alexa Koenig

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

When the International Criminal Court (ICC) was created in 1998, its founders hailed it as a “victims’ court,” one that would give survivors of mass atrocity an influential voice in the administration of justice. In the nearly two decades since its establishment, thousands of victims have been registered as “victim participants,” and thousands more have applied to the court for acceptance. However, there is now widespread agreement, both inside and outside of the court, that the ICC victim participation programs need reform. Court staff and outside observers have argued that current levels of outreach, care, and support are inadequate and …

Maturing Justice: Integrating The Convention On The Rights Of The Child Into The Judgments And Processes Of The International Criminal Court, Linda A. Malone

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.