An Introduction to the International Criminal Court

Abstract

The International Criminal Court ushers in a new era in the protection of human rights. The ICC prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes when national justice systems are either unwilling or unable to do so themselves. Schabas reviews the history of international criminal prosecution, the drafting of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the principles of its operation, including the scope of its jurisdiction and the procedural regime. This revised edition considers the court's start-up preparations, including election of judges and prosecutor. It also addresses the difficulties created by US opposition, and analyses the various measures taken by Washington to obstruct the Court. Three of the Court's fundamental documents - the 1998 Rome Statute, the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, and the Elements of Crimes - are reproduced in the Appendix. Indispensable for students and practitioners.

Reconciliation, Civil Society, and the Politics of Memory : Transnational Initiatives in the 20th and 21st Century

“…An example is Joanna Quinn's textbook entry on transitional justice: "It was only in the 1990s that scholars and practitioners began to sort out how to deal with violent histories." 8 Contrary to such assertions, this book attempts to show that concerns about human rights violations and attempts at dealing with past atrocities can already be found at the beginning of the 20th century. We included case studies starting around 1919 with Armin T.…”

Practising Justice in Argentina: Social Condemnation, Legal Punishment, and the Local Articulations of Genocide

“…However, due to the narrow phrasing of the genocide definition, only four groups are recognised by the UN Convention: national, ethnic, religious, or racial groups. Political groups or social collectives have been left out from the treaty, mainly due to the political motives of some countries members of the Convention (see also Jones 2010;Shaw 2007;Schabas 2004Schabas , 2009). The definition of group identity is hence a central obstacle for lawyers and judges willing to apply the concept of genocide to the Argentinean state terror of the 70s.…”

Estados de impunidad. Una crítica “Fou-Cohen-tiana” de la guerra de Bush contra el terror

“…Aunque este país apoyó inicialmente el Estatuto de Roma, posteriormente dio marcha atrás citando problemas de procedimiento y de organización en torno a la Corte. (Schabas, 2004) Después de firmar el tratado en el año 2000, el Presidente Clinton cambió de parecer e incluso recomendó que el Senado no lo ratificara. El Presidente Bush dio un paso más en la obstrucción de la autoridad de la Corte al dar lugar a la ley H.R.…”