International justice against impunity : progress and new challenges / / Yves Beigbeder.

• Author: Beigbeder, Yves.
• Year of Publication: 2005
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (257 p.)
• Notes: Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

This volume reviews the achievements and limitations of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and the creation of mixed national/international courts: the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the Cambodia Tribunal. The major, unexpected and promising judiciary innovation is however the creation of the International Criminal Court in 1998, supported by the UN, European Union members and other countries, effectively promoted by NGOs, but strongly opposed by the USA. The Court will have to show that it is a fair and valuable instrument in fighting impunity at the international level.

Table of Contents

Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- FOREWORD -- INTRODUCTION -- The Nuremberg and Tokyo Tribunals -- The Human Rights Regime -- The International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda -- Mixed National/International Tribunals -- The International Criminal Court -- Friends and Foes of the Court -- The International Court of Justice and International Criminal Tribunals -- Notes -- LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS -- LIST OF PRESENTATIONS -- 1 THE WEAKNESSES OF NATIONAL JUSTICE -- Selected Countries and Responsible Leaders -- North Korea: Kim Jong II -- Ethiopia: Mengistu Haile Mariam -- Uganda: Idi Amin Dada Oumee -- Indonesia: Generals Suharto and Wiranto -- Military Regimes in Latin America -- Chile: Augusto Pinochet -- Progress in Argentina -- Progress in Mexico -- Criminal Justice in Democratic Countries -- French amnesties and amnesia -- The US in Vietnam: unwilling military justice -- Justice denied: the Guantanamo detainees -- The position of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) -- The Third Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 -- Military commissions -- Releases from Guantanamo -- Authorized torture revealed -- The Supreme Court decisions of 28 June 2004 -- Assessment -- A Test Case: the Trial of Saddam Hussein -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 2 UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION -- Implementation of the Principle -- Crimes under International Law Subject to Universal Jurisdiction -- War crimes -- Crimes against humanity -- Genocide -- Apartheid -- Torture -- Universal Jurisdiction at the National Level -- Belgium -- Spain -- Canada -- USA -- France -- Universal Jurisdiction: a Flawed Doctrine? -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 3 THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA -- Common Traits between the Two Generations of Tribunals -- Differences between the Two Generations of Tribunals.

The Conflict in the Former Yugoslavia -- Creation of the ICTY -- The objectives of the Tribunal -- Mandate and structure -- Budget and staffing -- The Work of the Tribunal -- A new strategy -- Plea-bargaining -- 'Big fish' before the Tribunal -- Sentencing guidelines -- Cooperation by governments -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 4 THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA -- The Context -- Mandate and Structure -- Budget and staffing -- The removal of Carla del Ponte -- Rwanda's Relations with the Tribunal -- The Tribunal's Performance -- A slow process -- The Tribunal's strategy -- Achievements -- Enforcement of sentences -- National Justice -- The gacaca courts -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 5 MIXED NATIONAL-INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNALS -- Sierra Leone's Special Court -- Historical background -- The creation of an independent Special Court -- The Statute of the Court -- The Court's beginnings -- The Court's decisions in 2004 -- Relationship with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission -- Assessment -- The Delayed Trial of the Khmer Rouge Leaders -- Historical background -- The first political trials -- Towards a mixed national-international tribunal -- The Agreement -- Recent developments -- Assessment -- East Timor (now Timor Leste): the Serious Crimes Unit -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 6 THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT -- The Origins -- The Rome Statute -- Status of the Court -- Structure of the Court -- The crimes -- Prosecution -- Limitations of the Court's powers -- Rights of the accused -- Rights of victims and witnesses -- Reparations -- Penalties -- Cooperation with states -- Financing the Court -- Signatures and ratifications -- Amendments and Review of the Statute -- The Preparatory Commission for the ICC -- Building the Court -- The first session of the Assembly of States Parties -- The second session of the Assembly of States Parties.

The third session of the Assembly of the States Parties -- The First Referrals of Situations -- Uganda -- The Democratic Republic of Congo -- Central African Republic -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 7 FRIENDS AND FOES OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT -- Friends of the Court -- Friendly states -- UN organizations and secretariat heads -- European Union -- Parliamentarian groups and other regional organizations -- The International Committee of the Red Cross -- Other non-governmental organizations -- The USA, Russia and China -- The American crusade against the Court -- Bilateral agreements -- Opposition to the Bilateral Agreements -- The Security Council resolutions -- US objections to the ICC - and rebuttal -- Will Russia ratify the Statute? -- China's tacit opposition -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 8 INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNALS AND THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE -- Issues in the Tadic Case -- Concurrent Procedures before the ICJ and the International Criminal Tribunals -- The Genocide Convention -- Non-conflictual Issues and Decisions -- Criminal responsibility of senior officials -- The binding force of international tribunals' judgments -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 9 CONCLUSION -- International Justice -- The first generation of international criminal tribunals: Nuremberg and Tokyo -- The second generation: Yugoslavia and Rwanda -- The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (lCTY) -- The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) -- The mixed national-international tribunals -- The International Criminal Court -- Notes -- SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX.