نشریه مطالعات بین المللی
سال یازدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 41، Summer 2014)

This article describes several issues that might arise once the amendments to the Rome Statute on the crime of aggression enter into force. A first issue relates to the jurisdictional mechanism pertaining to the crime of aggression. A second issue revolves around the various liability modes arising from the crime of aggression. Since the crime of aggression is a ‘leadership crime’ several liability modes that exist within the ICC Statute seem not to apply to this crime, such as accessory liability. Accomplices or third States aiding or inciting another State to commit an act of aggression, might be immune from prosecution. A third issue touched upon concerns the implementation of the crime of aggression at anational level. The principle of universal jurisdiction may empower States to prosecute individuals responsible for international crimes in their national courts. Yet, this might result in complementarity problems with regard to the crime of aggression. This article examines the complementarity ‘test’ applied by the ICC in order to determine the admissibility of a case and its ramifications that might arise from the crime of aggression.

Les droits de la personne humaine sont désormais pris enconsidération dans toutes les branches du droit international, en particulier dans la répression des crimes internationaux. En fait, l’Art. 21(3) du Statut de la sur le droit applicable, en se conformant à la jurisprudence du TPIY et du TPIR, incorpore la normative en matière des DH, en lui reconnaissant une primauté sur toute autre règle applicable. On analyse ici les différentes modalités dans lesquelles ces droits entrent en considération dans le cadre des TPI. Un important aspect de l’humanisation du DI a été réalisé par le développement, à la fin de la IIème guerre mondiale, de la notion de crime contre l’humanité, ce qui a reçu une définitive consécration par les TPI. En fait, si les crimes de guerre représentent des violations graves du DIH, les crimes contre l’humanité représentent des violations graves des DH. Les TPI s’occupent de protéger aussi les DH des individus qui viennent en contact avec leurs organes, judiciaires et administratifs. Tout en appliquant des règles sur les DH qui jouissent de leurs propres mécanismes d’interprétation et contrôle, les TPI revendiquent leur spécifié et indépendance dans l’application de certains principes généraux tel que ne bis in idem, nullum crimen sine lege et nulla poena sine lege, l’égalité devant la loi, la parité des armes. Pour d’autres aspects, la jurisprudence des TPI est débitrice surtout de l’interprétation qui en donne les mécanismes propres aux DH. Les droits garantis sont aussi ceux de la personne humaine en tant que telle, comme le droit de tout être humain, quelle que soit sa position dans la situation d’espèce, d’être traité avec dignité. Mais devant les TPI il s’agit surtout des droits dont un individu bénéficie pour son rôle spécifique dans les procédures qui s’y déroulent: que ce soit le suspect, le détenu, l’accusé, le témoin, le témoin-victime. Ces individus ne viennent pas seulement en contact avec les Chambres d’un TPI, mais aussi avec le Bureau du Procureur et le Greffe. Mais c’est toujours sous le contrôle des Chambres que les droits de ces individus sont protégés. Le présent article cherche à démontrer que le niveau de protection des DH devant les TPI atteint un niveau bien satisfaisant. Ce qui ne signifie pas qu’on ne puisse encore l’améliorer.

This paper examines the evolution of the Responsibility to Protect(R2P) framework in the past twelve years to show the potential of expanded concepts of international responsibility and their role in today’s crisis situations. First, a theoretical discussion of the evolution of legal concepts related to responsibility and the use of force outlines a shift in perceptions of sovereignty that translated into a multilayered structure of responsibility. A brief history covering the key milestones along R2P’s trajectoryillustratesits tangible conceptual and political advances to date. Second, the paper discusses one of the key misconception related to R2P, namely that it is synonymous with intervention. This section of the paper explains the range of tools available to implement R2P, both coercive and non-coercive. The last section introduces the “responsibility while protecting” (RWP) initiative, which is the latest attempt to improve the R2P framework, with respect to its pillar three formulation. RWP emerged as a key interpretation of the legal implications of international responsibility, particularly after the use of force in Libya in the name of R2P. The paper concludes with a discussion of itsmeritstoward clarifying the most contentious aspects of R2Pas opposed to the right to access information in military conflicts.

In the recent History, Brazilian society witnessed the perpetration of the crime of enforced disappearance as part of a systematic attack directed against political opponents. During the 1970´s, in furtherance of the military government policy of “National Security”, State officials were ordered to commit such crime. After re-democratization in 1988, Brazil has signed various human rights treaties, such as the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Rome Statute. However, there is still no provision related to this crime in the Brazilian law and no person was ever held responsible for those acts. The article aims to analyze the draft of the Brazilian New Criminal Code, bringing International Criminal Law and the needs of the transitional justice into its perspective. Concerning the crime of enforced disappearance, the Brazilian law is not yet properly adapted to International Criminal Law, but it can be, mostly whereby the promulgation of the new Code, which may have a positive impact on the transitional justice. The research emphasizes the bibliographic method, based on materials available in both print and electronic media.

At the end of the Cold War, regionalism has attracted growing international attention along with globalization. The two approaches of “Old regionalism” and “new regionalism” could be of assistance in conducting an in-depth study. Evidence shows that old regionalism was viewed as a mechanism to reduce dependence on international economy. Meanwhile, some researchers of the new regionalism are of the opinion that in practice, regionalism has acquired new dimensions. Today, the governments make regional efforts that may overlap, stand in contrast or contradict each other. As one of the regions affected by this issue, Central Asian countries have taken steps toward regional convergence. To this end, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was established in 1996 by five countries of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in Shanghai, as one of the important experiences of regional organizations. In its summits, the SCO member states introduced measures and policies ensuring security of Central Asia, supporting the trend of a multi-polar systemand democratization of the international system. The main question of this paper is “how is new Regionalism in SCO? In the light of the objectives of the organization, the author attempts to show that the SCO is being expanded along with the spread of globalization as one of the manifestations of the “new regionalism”.

In this international Conference focused on the evolutions of legal concepts in the light of the evolution of international tribunals, the specific topic of Transitional Justice (TJ) and Impunity appears well integrated and deserves some remarks. The first remark is that during the last two decades the institutions of international criminal justice (ICTY, ICTR, ICC, and internationalized/hybrid criminal jurisdictions) have assumed a prominent role in the realm of international community and its law just in order to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern of the international community as a whole (specifically war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, gross violations of human rights). Further remark is that the duty to prosecute such most serious crimes of international law is contained in some very important international conventions: the Genocide Convention (1948), the four Geneva Conventions (1949), the UN Torture Convention (1984). But we are able to affirm that nowadays this duty to prosecute most serious crimes has acquired a status of customary international law.

In his trilogy "Homo Sacer", "State of Exception" and "What remains of Auschwitz", Giorgio Agamben analyzes important aspects of the human condition and human rights concepts over the centuries. Through an internationalist perspective, and based on the concepts brought about by Agamben’s Homo Sacer, this paper argues that the State of exception is constantly in force, alongside the universality of human rights – thus the coexistence of the universality of the exception and the universality of human rights, not ignoring the debates on universalism versus relativism, and the hazard of imposing a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to every situation. Furthermore, this research explores the denial of the otherness as a means to justify mass atrocities grounded on speeches and policies that reject any kind of diversity. Additionally, taking into consideration the boundaries between the human and the Homo Sacer, this study questions the possibility of an international vindication of human rights, and the legitimacy of external interference in States that are lenient towards violations of human rights. This analysis will be guided by the concept of jus cogens and the role of the International Criminal Court as an alleged mechanism of deterrence of further abuses and reinforcement of International Human Rights Law.