Magister Legum - LLM / Africa seemingly cursed with instability, conflict and gross human rights violations has been the largest scene of operation of international criminal justice. This understanding led African States to be some of the key proponents in the push for an International Criminal Court. Of late however, mounting policy and operational fluxes between African States and international criminal justice has put Africa's relationship with international justice on ice. This in turn has awoken within the region's geopolitical body, the African Union, the need for an exclusively African response to international criminal justice as it is currently considering extending the jurisdiction of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights to cover international crimes. This Research Paper aims to chart the genesis of this move through the decision-making system of the African Union and within the broader context of the Union's emerging Human Rights, Peace and Security Architecture. It will simultaneously assess the viability of this proposal within the backdrop of recent global developments with a view to identifying key legal and policy ramifications. It aims to show that there may be room for the adoption of an empowered African Court as a regional complement to the international criminal justice system.

Des faits historiques peuvent-ils, plusieurs décennies après leur survenance, générer une situation préjudiciable au point d’en faire découler une forme de responsabilité juridique spécifique ? Cette étude se situe au carrefour de la justice constitutionnelle et de la justice transitionnelle, entendue comme l’ensemble des mécanismes permettant de rendre la justice à la suite de périodes de grande violence, par l’identification des responsabilités, l’octroi de réparations et la manifestation de la vérité. Cette thèse considère que la défaillance de la justice rendue consécutivement à une situation de violences extrêmes et bien souvent massives est susceptible de générer un « préjudice historique ». Elle démontre la nécessité de consacrer une responsabilité juridique et juridictionnelle résultant du préjudice historique. Néanmoins, le caractère anormal des situations de violence extrême génère des préjudices « extraordinaires » qui imposent une réponse dépassant la mise en œuvre des mécanismes juridiques habituels. La réflexion est donc menée sur la possible existence d’un « dommage constitutionnel » en tant que fondement potentiel de la responsabilité du fait du préjudice historique. Dès lors, cette thèse se veut une réflexion plus générale sur l’impuissance du droit en dehors de ses mécanismes traditionnels et sur la nécessité de dépasser ses limites et de développer de nouveaux moyens permettant d’appréhender une réalité sociale dont il reste encore trop éloigné / Can historical facts, several decades after their occurrence, lead to the recognition of an injurious situation, giving rise to a specific form of legal accountability? This doctoral study is set up at the crossroads of constitutional and transitional justice. These latter can be defined as the set of mechanisms seeking to achieve justice after times of massive violence including responsibility, reparations and the recognition of truth. This doctoral study asserts that the failure of justice in the aftermath of extreme violence and mass crimes is likely to generate a specific “historical wrong”. It reveals the necessity to recognize a legal and judicial accountability resulting from an historical wrong. However, the exceptional nature of extreme violence acts generates “extra-ordinary” prejudices, creating a need for the implementation of specific mechanisms beyond the ordinary ones. This thesis will therefore explore the notion of “constitutional damage” as a potential basis to the accountability resulting from historical wrong. Thus, this dissertation exposes a larger issue on the helplessness of the law outside its traditional ordinary mechanisms and on the need to go beyond its limits. It also seeks means to answer and deal with a social reality from which the law would otherwise remain distanced

Magister Legum - LLM / The Rome Statute established the International Criminal Court (the ICC) in July 2002 and South Africa was one of the first signatories. South Africa incorporated this statute into its domestic law by enacting the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act 27 of 2002 (the Implementation Act). The preamble and article 1 of the Rome Statute, provides that the jurisdiction of the ICC is ‘complementary’ to national courts and that, therefore, States Parties retain the primary responsibility for the repression of international crimes.

The analysis of the principle of the complementarity formula set out in the Rome Statute is at the heart of this dissertation. The research aims to critically reflect on the complementarity regime under the Rome Statute in relation to international crimes committed in the DRC since the incorporation of the Rome Statute into the Congolese legal system. This research argues that the implementation of the principle of complementarity poses difficulties of application, implementation, and interpretation and thus remains a less effective means of putting an end to international crimes. The findings of this research indicate an urgent need for the principle of complementarity being rethought by clarifying its content and scope. Victims of international crimes cannot to date rely on its implementation to obtain justice. This research adopts an essentially conceptual approach; moreover, the methodological approach adopted is that of qualitative research. This research calls for the principle of complementarity being rethought by clarifying its content and scope.

International crimes prosecutions have become more common since 1993, both domestically and at international courts and tribunals. The advance of this norm confronts realist state interests causing debate about the norm's status. Kathryn Sikkink views a norm as cascading when enough states adopt it to cause international influence, without domestic pressure, to procure levels of conformity. This thesis considers the degree of conformity by observing the level of case selection independence to determine whether this norm is cascading. By identifying the jurisdictional and functional elements of case selection independence, I develop a framework for observing the interface between politics and law. While Sikkink errs towards the quantity of international crimes prosecutions, I focus on the quality. This project examines case selection independence at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Court, in Uganda. The project considers whether case selection has become more or less independent at these courts - whether the norm of international crimes prosecution has cascaded or contracted. In observing the various case selection independence elements I attempt to explain the observed cascades and contractions at each court. I then consider whether a cascade or contraction occurred during the period of the courts' collective design and function. The research qualitatively observes a cumulative justice contraction. The research observes a combination of factors affecting case selection independence, including shifts in power dynamics between and among weak and powerful states, increasing state sophistication in international court engagement, a shift in jurisdiction triggering actors and forums, and realist state co-option of norm entrepreneurs via endearing explanation of independence-diminishing policies.

This dissertation presents an analytical literature study regarding the relationship between the International Criminal Court and the proposed International Criminal Law Section of the African Court. The realisation of the International Criminal Law Section of the African Court will place itself and the International Criminal Court within the same jurisdictional sphere with regard to the adjudication of international customary law crimes with respect to its African member states. It is noteworthy to point out that this complexity is fraught with political turmoil regarding Africa, the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Security Council. This complex issue has been acutely recognised by numerous academics and law experts. Neither the Rome Statute nor the Protocol makes any reference towards each other, leaving its respective African member states with the daunting and ambiguous task of navigating through this complexity in isolation. This dissertation aims to investigate, analyse and ultimately offer a plausible solution to this immediate concern. In order to accomplish the aforementioned, this study will firstly investigate and evaluate both constitutional treaties of both international courts, respectively. The issue pertaining to the endowment of immunity will also be separately evaluated, considering the conflicting approaches followed by both judicial institutions. Ultimately, all previous sections will be analysed in order to recommend amendments to the Protocol to align itself with international law and settled international practice. A complementarity scheme will be introduced on the basis of the progressive interpretation of positive complementarity to harmonise both courts within the same jurisdictional sphere. Lastly, this dissertation will be concluded by remarks recapitalising the main findings. / LLM, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This dissertation presents an analytical literature study regarding the relationship between the International Criminal Court and the proposed International Criminal Law Section of the African Court. The realisation of the International Criminal Law Section of the African Court will place itself and the International Criminal Court within the same jurisdictional sphere with regard to the adjudication of international customary law crimes with respect to its African member states. It is noteworthy to point out that this complexity is fraught with political turmoil regarding Africa, the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Security Council. This complex issue has been acutely recognised by numerous academics and law experts. Neither the Rome Statute nor the Protocol makes any reference towards each other, leaving its respective African member states with the daunting and ambiguous task of navigating through this complexity in isolation. This dissertation aims to investigate, analyse and ultimately offer a plausible solution to this immediate concern. In order to accomplish the aforementioned, this study will firstly investigate and evaluate both constitutional treaties of both international courts, respectively. The issue pertaining to the endowment of immunity will also be separately evaluated, considering the conflicting approaches followed by both judicial institutions. Ultimately, all previous sections will be analysed in order to recommend amendments to the Protocol to align itself with international law and settled international practice. A complementarity scheme will be introduced on the basis of the progressive interpretation of positive complementarity to harmonise both courts within the same jurisdictional sphere. Lastly, this dissertation will be concluded by remarks recapitalising the main findings. / LLM, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Thesis (LLM)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) will come into operation after the 60th ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court of 1998. The ICC will have jurisdiction over the most serious international crimes, namely war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. The focus of this thesis is the difficulties surrounding the admissibility of a case before the ICC. There are basically two legs to this analysis: jurisdiction and complementarity .. Jurisdiction of the ICC is analysed in historical and theoretical context. This comprises an overview of the international tribunals since the First World War, and more specifically their impact on the development of jurisdiction in international criminal law. Secondly, the thesis is examining the jurisdiction of the ICC in terms of the specific provisions of the Rome Statute. This analysis comprises a detailed analysis of all the provisions of the Rome Statute that have an impact on the exercise of the ICC's jurisdiction. The relationship between the ICC and national courts is a difficult relationship based on a compromise at the Rome Conference in 1998. The principle underlying this relationship is known as "complementarity". This : means that the ICC will only exercise its jurisdiction if a national court is "unwilling" or "unable" to exercise its jurisdiction. A detailed analysis of the different provisions of the Rome Statute, as well as some references to other international tribunals, serve to analyse the impact of complementarity on the eventual ambit of the ICC's jurisdiction. In conclusion, some suggestions regarding the admissibility of cases and the difficult relationship between the ICC and national courts are made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die permanente Internasionale Strafhof (ISH) sal met sy werksaamhede begin na die 60ste ratifikasie van die Statuut van Rome van 1998. Die ISH sal jurisdiksie uitoefen oor die ernstigste internasionale misdade, tewete oorlogsmisdade, volksmoord en misdade teen die mensdom. Hierdie tesis fokus op die probleme rondom die toelaatbaarheid van 'n saak voor die ISH. Hierdie ontleding het basies twee bene: jurisdiksie en komplementariteit. Die jurisdiksie van die ISH word in historiese en teoretiese konteks ontleed. Dit behels 'n oorsig van die internasionale tribunale sedert die Eerste Wêreldoorlog, en meer spesifiek die impak wat hierdie tribunale op die ontwikkeling van jurisdiksie in die internasionale strafreg gehad het. In die tweede plek word jurisdiksie ontleed aan die hand van die spesifieke bepalings van die Statuut van Rome. Hierdie ontleding behels 'n gedetaileerde ontleding van al die bepalings van die Statuut van Rome wat 'n impak het op die uitoefening van die ISH se jurisdiksie. Die verhouding tussen die ISH en nasionale howe is 'n komplekse verhouding, gebaseer op 'n kompromie wat by die Rome Konferensie van 1998 aangegaan is. Die beginselonderliggend aan hierdie verhouding staan bekend as "komplementariteit". Dit beteken dat die ISH slegs sy jurisdiksie sal uitoefen indien 'n nasionale hof "onwillig" of "nie in staat is" om jurisdiksie uit te oefen nie. 'n Gedetaileerde ontleding van die verskillende bepalings van die Statuut van Rome, sowel as verwysings na ander internasionale tribunale, dien om die impak van komplementariteit op die omvang van die ISH se jurisdiksie, te ontleed. Ten slotte word sekere voorstelle aangaande die toelaatbaarheid van sake en die verhouding tussen die ISH en nasionale howe gemaak.

Submitted by Rosina Valeria Lanzellotti Mattiussi Teixeira (rosina.teixeira@unisantos.br) on 2016-04-13T14:47:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Edigardo Ferreira Soares Neto.pdf: 1028853 bytes, checksum: 70f63bd2384eff0b1bd14f8959b7c5d6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-13T14:47:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Edigardo Ferreira Soares Neto.pdf: 1028853 bytes, checksum: 70f63bd2384eff0b1bd14f8959b7c5d6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-03 / In this dissertation, it will be made an approach to the International Criminal Court (ICC) rules in comparison with those of the Brazilian legal system, what coincide, making a check analysis of possible antinomies between internal standard and internalized. In this north, will be carried out an assessment of International Courts historical evolution that existed and the Court of Rome predecessors forms, in addition to the perception of data relating to its creation and accession of Brazil for their rules. In sequence, the features Court are related and, in this line, individual criminal responsibility, own this approach, in addition to the reflection on the concept of the Statute Member States sovereignty. Then the study is concentrated on the examination of international criminal law in comparison with the international criminal law, where international cooperation is addressed, in addition to the core crimes and criminal principles common to the internal order and external, all under the rules paradigm for the protection of international human rights. Finally, it will be checked the apparent shocks between constitutional rules and the Rome Statute, a verification of compatibility, a control of all juridical convention on domestic law impact and effect. / Neste trabalho, far-se-á uma abordagem das normas do Tribunal Penal Internacional em comparação com as do ordenamento jurídico brasileiro, naquilo que coincidem, fazendo uma análise de verificação das possíveis antinomias entre a norma interna e a internalizada. Neste norte, será realizada uma apreciação da evolução histórica das Cortes Internacionais que existiram e foram antecessoras do Tribunal de Roma, além da percepção dos dados referentes à sua criação e adesão do Brasil as suas regras. Em sequência, as características da Corte serão relacionadas e, nesta linha, a responsabilidade penal individual, própria desta abordagem, além do reflexo no conceito de soberania dos Estados/Partes do Estatuto. Em seguida, o estudo é concentrado no exame do direito penal internacional em comparação com o direito internacional penal, onde a cooperação internacional é abordada, além dos core crimes e princípios penais comuns à ordem interna e externa, tudo sob o paradigma das regras de proteção aos direitos humanos internacionais. Por fim, checar-se-á os aparentes choques entre normas constitucionais e as do Estatuto de Roma, numa verificação de compatibilidade, num controle de convencionalidade do impacto e consequência ao direito interno.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (LL.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.