Individual responsibility in international law for serious human rights violations / / Lyal S. Sunga.

• Superior document: International Studies in Human Rights ; 21
• VerfasserIn: Sunga, Lyal S.,
• Place / Publishing House: Dordrecht, Netherlands ;, Boston, Massachusetts : : Martinus Nijhoff,, [1992]; ©1992
• Year of Publication: 1992
• Language: English
• Series: International Studies in Human Rights ; 21.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.

What rules of international law make the individual, even a Head of State, responsible for perpetrating serious human rights violations, such as war crimes, torture or genocide? This question is becoming more critical in our increasingly interdependent world, and the recent invasion of Kuwait and the brutalization of its people by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has heated up the debate even further. The author argues that a new rule of international law stipulating individual responsibility for all serious human rights violations is currently emerging. To show how this is coming about, he explores relevant norms in classic laws of war, international humanitarian law and modern international human rights law and surveys patterns in their implementation. He then takes account of codification efforts of the International Law Commission, the changing position of the individual in international law, and other important developments in the context of general international law as an evolving system.

Table of Contents

Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- TABLE OF CONTENTS -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Table of Treaties -- Table of Cases -- Resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly -- Chapter I. Introduction -- 1. Aim -- 2. Role of Value in Legal Enquiry -- 3. Dual Character of Law (Method of Enquiry) -- Chapter II. Individual Responsibility in Positive Laws of War -- 1. In General -- 2. War Crimes -- (i) Before Nuremburg -- Early Customary Law -- Hague Conventions and Regulations -- Inter-War Period -- (ii) Nuremburg Charter and Judgments -- (iii) Content and Legal Status of the Norm Since Nuremburg -- 3. Crimes Against Peace -- 4. Crimes Against Humanity -- (i) Before Nuremburg -- (ii) Nuremburg Charter and Judgments -- (iii) Content and Legal Status of the Norm Since Nuremburg -- 5. Significance of the Nuremburg Trials and Expansion of 'Crimes Against Humanity' -- 6. The Geneva Convention System of Grave Breaches -- (i) Substantial Aspects -- (ii) Significance of the System of Grave Breaches -- 7. Defenses to Allegations of International Crimes -- (i) Superior Orders -- (ii) Duress -- (iii) Mistake -- (iv) Military Necessity -- (v) Reprisals -- (vi) Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, 1968 -- Chapter Ill. Individual Responsibility in International Human Rights Law -- 1. Genocide -- (i) Background -- (ii) Substantial and Procedural Aspects of the UN Genocide Convention -- (iii) Present Legal Status of International Norms on Genocide -- 2. Apartheid -- (i) Background -- (ii) Substantial and Procedural Aspects of the UN Apartheid Convention -- (iii) Present Legal Status of International Norms on Apartheid -- 3. Torture -- (i) Background -- (ii) Substantial and Procedural Aspects of the UN Torture Convention -- (iii) Present Legal Status of International Norms on Torture.

4. Slavery -- (i) Background -- (ii) Individual Responsibility for Slavery in International Law -- (iii) Present Legal Status of International Norms against Slavery -- 5. Principle of Non-discrimination -- (i) Substantial and Procedural Aspects of the Racial Convention -- (ii) Present Legal Status of the Principle of Non-discrimination -- Chapter IV. Patterns of Implementation -- 1. National Measures of Implementation -- (i) Doctrine of International Jurisdiction -- (ii) Universal Jurisdiction - Content and Legal Status -- (iii) Illustrative Cases in National Law -- Eichmann Case -- Filartiga Case -- (iv) Conclusions Regarding Universal Jurisdiction and Domestic Implementation of Crimes in International Law -- 2. Proposals for an International Criminal Court -- (i) Pre-World War II Developments -- (ii) Present and Future Prospects -- Chapter V. Codification of International Responsibility -- 1. ILC Draft Article 19 -International Crimes and International Delicts -- (i) Definition of 'International Crime' -- (ii) Related Concepts -- (iii) Question of Individual Criminal Responsibility for Serious Human Rights Violations -- 2. Draft Code of Offenses Against the Peace and Security of Mankind -- (i) Content Ratione Materiae -- (ii) Content Ratione Personae -- Chapter VI. The Position of the Individual in International Law -- 1. Instances of Individual Legal Capacity in International Law -- 2. Doctrinal Approaches -- (i) Classic Doctrine: Grotius and Vattel -- (ii) Kelsen -- (iii) Soviet Doctrine -- (iv) Other Views -- (v) Some Empirical Approaches -- 3. Relation of Individual Subjectivity and Individual Responsibility -- Chapter VII. Emergence of a General Rule of Individual Responsibility for Serious Human Rights Violations -- 1. Specific Factors Enhancing Prospects for Emergence of the General Rule -- (i) Content of the Emerging Norm.

(ii) Possible Legal Sources of the Emerging Rule -- 2. General Factors Enhancing Prospects for Emergence of the General Rule -- Annex: Draft Code of Crimes against the Peace and Security of Mankind -- Bibliography -- Index -- International Studies in Human Rights.